§459-7 Application; examination; reexamination; appeal; renewal; continuing education; license. (a) Except as otherwise provided in this chapter, every person desiring to begin or to continue the practice of optometry, before beginning or continuing practice, upon presentation of satisfactory evidence that the applicant is a graduate of an optometric college, school, or university approved by the Hawaii board of optometry and accredited by a regional or professional accreditation organization and recognized by the council on post-secondary accreditation or by the United States Department of Education, shall pass all examinations required by the board and comply with the following requirements:
(1) Submit a completed application for licensure to the department of commerce and consumer affairs;
(2) Submit a nonrefundable application fee together with the application; and
(3) Submit a copy of the applicant's diploma or certificate of graduation from an optometric college, school, or university approved in accordance with this subsection.
(b) Applicants for examination shall be given due notice of the date and place of each examination by the National Board of Examiners in Optometry. If a National Board of Examiners in Optometry examination is no longer recognized by the board, applicants shall pass an examination designated by the board and shall be notified by the board or testing agency designated by the board of the date and place of examination.
Every candidate who passes all examinations required by the board and who has met all requirements for licensure shall receive from the board a license to practice optometry.
(c) Each licensee shall pay a biennial license fee to the board on or before December 31 of each odd-numbered year for a renewal of the license for the biennium. The failure of any licensee to pay the biennial license fee and submit proof of satisfying the continuing education program requirements on or before December 31 of each odd-numbered year shall automatically constitute a forfeiture of the license. Any license which is so forfeited may be restored upon payment of a penalty, renewal, and recordkeeping fee as provided in rules adopted by the director pursuant to chapter 91, and upon submission of proof that the person whose license has been forfeited has satisfied all continuing education requirements for the biennium immediately preceding the application for restoration of the license. The applicant shall pay a recordkeeping fee for each biennium the license was on forfeited status.
(d) Each licensee, on or before the date designated in each odd-numbered year, shall submit to the board proof that the licensee has met the continuing education requirement through programs recognized and approved by the board. The board shall have the authority to extend the time for compliance of continuing education requirement if good cause is shown. The board shall adopt rules relating to the requirements and standards that continuing education programs shall meet to obtain recognition or approval from the board. [L 1917, c 187, §5; RL 1925, §1116; RL 1935, §1374; am L 1941, c 195, pt of §1; RL 1945, §2805; am L 1949, c 58, §1(3); am L 1951, c 230, §1; am L 1955, c 111, §1; RL 1955, §68-7; am L 1961, c 142, §5; HRS §459-7; am L 1972, c 2, §23 and c 123, §1; am L 1973, c 156, §1; am L 1975, c 118, §22; am L 1984, c 7, §54; am L 1985, c 224, §7 and c 294, §3; am L 1987, c 70, §1, c 152, §4, and c 283, §32; am L 1992, c 21, §2; am L 1994, c 123, §1; am L 1997, c 40, §15 and c 43, §1; am L 2018, c 203, §6]
Cross References
Disposal of examination records, see §94-5.
Professional testing services, see §26-9.