(a)
(1) No person shall be licensed to practice acupuncture and related techniques unless he or she has passed an examination and has been found to have the necessary qualifications as prescribed in the rules adopted by the Arkansas State Board of Acupuncture and Related Techniques.
(2)
(A) Applications for a license to practice acupuncture and related techniques in the State of Arkansas pursuant to this chapter shall be made to the Secretary of the Arkansas State Board of Acupuncture and Related Techniques in writing on forms furnished by the board.
(B) The application shall be signed by the applicant in his or her own handwriting and acknowledged before an officer authorized to administer oaths.
(3) Before any applicant shall be eligible for an examination, the applicant shall furnish satisfactory proof to the board that he or she:
(A) Has successfully completed not fewer than sixty (60) semester credit hours of college education, to include a minimum of thirty (30) semester credit hours in the field of science; and
(B) Has completed a program in acupuncture and related techniques and has received a certificate or diploma from an institute approved by the board as described in this section. The training received in the program shall be for a period of no fewer than four (4) academic years and shall include a minimum of eight hundred (800) hours of supervised clinical practice.
(b) Before approval of an institute of acupuncture and related techniques, the board shall determine that the institute meets standards of professional education. These standards shall provide that the institute:
(1) Require, as a prerequisite to graduation, a program of study of at least four (4) academic years;
(2) Meet the minimum requirements of a board-approved national accrediting body;
(3) Require participation in a carefully supervised clinical or internship program; and
(4) Confer a certificate, diploma, or degree in acupuncture and related techniques only after personal attendance in classes and clinics.
(c) To qualify to take the examination, an applicant additionally must:
(1) Be at least twenty-one (21) years of age;
(2) Be a citizen of the United States or a legal resident;
(3) Not have had a license to practice acupuncture and related techniques in any other state suspended or revoked nor have been placed on probation for any cause;
(4) Not have been convicted of a felony listed under § 17-3-102; and
(5) Not be a habitual user of intoxicants, drugs, or hallucinatory preparations.
(d) The board may charge the following fees:
(1) Initial application for licensing, a fee not to exceed two hundred fifty dollars ($250);
(2) Written and practical examination not including the cost of the nationally recognized examination, a fee not to exceed three hundred fifty dollars ($350);
(3) Biennial licensing renewal, a fee not to exceed four hundred dollars ($400);
(4) Late renewal more than thirty (30) days, but not later than one (1) year, after expiration of a license, which late fee is in addition to any other fees, a fee not to exceed one hundred dollars ($100);
(5) Reciprocal licensing, a fee not to exceed seven hundred fifty dollars ($750);
(6) Annual continuing education provider registration, a fee not to exceed two hundred dollars ($200); and
(7) Any and all fees to cover reasonable and necessary administrative expenses.
(e)
(1)
(A) If the applicant is approved, the applicant shall be admitted for examination.
(B) Should the applicant pass the examination, no part of the fee shall be returned, and the applicant shall be issued a license to practice acupuncture and related techniques in accordance with this chapter.
(C) Should an applicant be approved but fail to appear for the examination, no part of his or her fee shall be returned, but the applicant shall be eligible for examination at a later date.
(D) Should the approved applicant fail the examination, no part of his or her fee shall be returned, and the applicant shall be eligible for reexamination at a later date, at the discretion of the board, upon paying an examination fee of fifty dollars ($50.00) per failed subject up to one hundred fifty dollars ($150).
(2) If the applicant is not approved, the application and one-half (½) of the examination fee shall be returned to the applicant with the reasons for the disapproval clearly stated.