(a) There is created the Arkansas Board of Dispensing Opticians which shall be responsible for administering the specific duties as set out in this chapter.

(b)

(1) The Arkansas Board of Dispensing Opticians shall be composed of nine (9) members appointed by the Governor to three-year terms, subject to confirmation by the Senate.

(2)

(A) Three (3) members of the Arkansas Board of Dispensing Opticians shall be practicing licensed or registered dispensing opticians appointed by the Governor after consultation with the Arkansas Association of Dispensing Opticians.

(B) One (1) of the three (3) members shall be an employee of either an Arkansas-licensed ophthalmologist or optometrist.

(3) One (1) member of the Arkansas Board of Dispensing Opticians shall be a member of the State Board of Optometry.

(4) One (1) member of the Arkansas Board of Dispensing Opticians shall be a licensed optometrist appointed by the Governor after consulting the Arkansas Optometric Association, Inc. and subject to confirmation by the Senate.

(5) Two (2) members of the Arkansas Board of Dispensing Opticians shall be licensed ophthalmologists appointed by the Governor after consulting the Arkansas Medical Society, Inc. and subject to confirmation by the Senate.

(6) One (1) member of the Arkansas Board of Dispensing Opticians shall be a consumer.

(7)

(A) One (1) member of the Arkansas Board of Dispensing Opticians shall represent the elderly.

(B) The representative of the elderly shall:

(i) Be sixty (60) years of age or older;

(ii) Not be actively engaged in or retired from the profession of ophthalmic dispensing;

(iii) Be appointed from the state at large, subject to confirmation by the Senate; and

(iv) Be a full voting member but shall not participate in grading examinations.

(c) The consumer Arkansas Board of Dispensing Opticians member position and the representative of the elderly position may not be filled by the same person.

(d) In the event of a vacancy during an Arkansas Board of Dispensing Opticians member's term, the Governor shall appoint a person possessing the same qualifications as the vacating member to fill that vacancy.

(e) Board members may receive expense reimbursement and stipends in accordance with § 25-16-901 et seq.