Georgia § 43-20-4 - Creation of board; composition; qualifications of members; terms of office; vacancies; selection of officers.

§ 43-20-4. Creation of board; composition; qualifications of members; terms of office; vacancies; selection of officers.

There shall be established the State Board of Hearing Aid Dealers and Dispensers, which shall administer and enforce this chapter. The board shall consist of seven members, four of whom shall hold dispenser's licenses issued by the board and each shall have no less than three years' experience in the practice of dispensing hearing aids, one of whom shall be a diplomate or eligible for certification by the American Board of Otolaryngology and licensed to practice medicine in this state, one of whom shall be an audiologist licensed under Chapter 44 of this title, and one of whom shall be appointed from the public at large, shall be an individual to whom neither this state nor any other state has ever issued a license, permit, certificate, or registration to engage in the practice of dispensing hearing aids, and shall not employ any individual to engage in the practice of dispensing hearing aids. Each member of the board shall be a resident of this state. Each member of the board shall be appointed by the Governor with the approval of the Secretary of State. The term of office for each member shall be three years or until his or her successor has been appointed and qualified. Upon the expiration of each term, the Governor, with the approval of the Secretary of State, shall appoint a successor as provided above. Any vacancy on the board arising from death, resignation, or other cause shall be filled by such appointment for the unexpired term. The members of the board shall annually designate one such member to serve as chairperson and another to serve as vice chairperson and may select such additional officers as the board deems necessary. The chairperson and vice chairperson shall each hold a dispenser's license. (Ga. L. 1970, p. 653, § 13; Code 1933, § 84-5614, enacted by Ga. L. 1978, p. 1728, § 1; Ga. L. 1991, p. 401, § 1; Ga. L. 1996, p. 1017, § 1; Ga. L. 2015, p. 1326, § 1/HB 232.) The 2015 amendment, effective July 1, 2015, substituted "the State Board" for "a State Board" in subsection (a); in subsection (b), deleted the former first sentence, which read: "Members of the board shall be residents of the state.", rewrote the second sentence, which formerly read: "The board shall consist of seven members; four of whom shall hold licenses issued by the board and shall have no less than three years' experience as a hearing aid dispenser; one of whom shall be a diplomate or eligible for certification by the American Board of Otolaryngology and licensed to practice medicine in this state; one of whom shall be an audiologist licensed under Chapter 44 of this title; and one of whom shall be appointed from the public at large." and added the last sentence; in subsection (c), in the second sentence, inserted "or her" near the middle and deleted "except that, for the first board appointed under this chapter, two members shall be appointed for a two year term and three members shall be appointed for a three year term" following "and qualified"; designated the former last sentence of subsection (c) as subsection (d); and, in subsection (d), in the first sentence, substituted "chairperson" for "chairman" twice, and added the last sentence.