(a) There is established within the department a Motor Vehicle Operator's License Medical Advisory Board, which shall advise the commissioner on the medical aspects and concerns of licensing operators of motor vehicles. The board shall consist of not less than eight members or more than fifteen members who shall be medical professionals and who shall be appointed by the commissioner. The Connecticut State Medical Society, the Connecticut Association of Optometrists and any professional medical associations or organizations whose members include physician assistants or advanced practice registered nurses may submit nominees for appointment to the board for the commissioner's consideration who represent the specialties of (1) general medicine or surgery, (2) internal medicine, (3) cardiovascular medicine, (4) neurology or neurological surgery, (5) ophthalmology or optometry, (6) orthopedics, (7) psychiatry, or (8) occupational medicine.
(b) Initially, three members shall be appointed for a two-year term, three members for a three-year term and the remainder of the members for a four-year term. Appointments thereafter shall be for four-year terms. Any vacancy shall be filled by the commissioner for the unexpired portion of a term. The commissioner shall designate the chairperson of the board.
(c) Board members shall serve without compensation but shall be reimbursed for necessary expenses or services incurred in performing their duties, including the giving of testimony at any administrative hearing when requested by the commissioner. Medical professionals who are not members of the board and conduct examinations at the request of the board shall be compensated for these examinations.
(d) The board shall meet at the call of the commissioner at least annually. Special meetings may be held to fulfill the responsibilities specified in section 14-46c.
(e) Any meeting of the board in which the medical condition of any individual is discussed for purposes of making a recommendation on his or her fitness to operate a motor vehicle shall be held in executive session.
(f) As used in this section and section 14-46c, “medical professional” means a licensed physician, physician assistant, advanced practice registered nurse or optometrist.
(P.A. 81-461, S. 6; P.A. 90-265, S. 5, 8; P.A. 02-70, S. 62; P.A. 03-278, S. 39; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 15-5, S. 205; P.A. 19-119, S. 10.)
History: P.A. 90-265 amended Subsec. (c) to require reimbursement for board members for testimony given at administrative hearings; P.A. 02-70 amended Subsec. (a) to increase the minimum membership of the board from seven to eight members, to require the Connecticut Association of Optometrists to submit a list of nominees representing the specialty of optometry and to make a technical change; P.A. 03-278 made technical changes in Subsec. (a), effective July 9, 2003; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 15-5 amended Subsec. (a) to add references to other medical organizations that have as members physician assistants or advanced practice registered nurses and add Subdiv. (8) re nominees representing specialty of occupational medicine, amended Subsec. (c) to replace “Physicians” with “Medical professionals”, amended Subsec. (d) to change required meeting from twice a year to annually, added Subsec. (f) re definition of “medical professional”, and made technical changes, effective June 30, 2015; P.A. 19-119 substantially amended Subsec.(a) re membership of board and made a technical change in Subsec. (b), effective July 1, 2019.