§2455. Louisiana Board for Hearing Aid Dealers; composition; districts

            A. There is hereby created within the Louisiana Department of Health the Louisiana Board for Hearing Aid Dealers which is subject to the provisions of R.S. 36:803 and which is constructed as set out herein, and with duties and powers as herein provided.

            B.(1) The board shall be composed of nine members. Seven members shall be hearing aid dealers, the eighth member shall be the state health officer or his representative, and the ninth member shall be fifty years of age or over and shall serve as a representative of the hearing aid consumers of Louisiana. The seven hearing aid dealers shall be appointed in the following manner. The Louisiana Society of Hearing Aid Specialists, chartered by the state, shall submit to the governor names of not less than fourteen qualified hearing aid dealers, who shall be actively engaged in the selling and fitting of hearing aids. The governor shall ensure that his appointments demonstrate race, gender, ethnic, and geographical diversity.

            (2) The state of Louisiana shall be divided into six districts, as follows:

            (a) District I. Shall be comprised of the parishes of Orleans, Jefferson, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. Tammany, St. John the Baptist, Plaquemines, Lafourche, Terrebonne, Washington, and St. James.

            (b) District II. Shall be comprised of the parishes of Vernon, Rapides, Avoyelles, Concordia, Catahoula, LaSalle, Grant, Winn, and Allen.

            (c) District III. Shall be comprised of the parishes of Jackson, Madison, Lincoln, Union, Morehouse, West Carroll, Richland, Franklin, Caldwell, Ouachita, East Carroll, and Tensas.

            (d) District IV. Shall be comprised of the parishes of Iberville, St. Mary, St. Martin, Lafayette, Acadia, Jefferson Davis, Vermilion, Calcasieu, Beauregard, Evangeline, St. Landry, Cameron, and Iberia.

            (e) District V. Shall be comprised of the parishes of Assumption, Ascension, Pointe Coupee, West Baton Rouge, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, St. Helena, Livingston, Tangipahoa, and West Feliciana.

            (f) District VI. Shall be comprised of the parishes of Natchitoches, Sabine, DeSoto, Bienville, Caddo, Bossier, Webster, Claiborne, and Red River.

            (3) Out of the fourteen qualified hearing aid dealers to be submitted to the governor, four are to be domiciled and work in District I and two are to be domiciled and work in each of the other districts.

            (4) From this list the governor shall appoint seven members of the board, two from District I, and one from each of the other five districts. Of the seven hearing aid dealer members of the board, one shall be appointed to serve a term of four years, two shall be appointed to serve for a term of three years, two shall be appointed to serve for a term of two years, and two shall be appointed to serve for a term of one year. Each member so appointed shall serve for the term of his appointment, and thereafter until his successor has been appointed by the governor. Each member shall be appointed for a term of four years. In the event of a vacancy on the board, the governor shall appoint a new hearing aid dealer board member to serve out the unexpired term. The members of the board shall annually designate one such member to serve as chairman and another member to serve as secretary-treasurer. No hearing aid dealer member of the board may be reappointed to the board until at least one year after the expiration of his second term of office.

            (5)(a) The hearing aid consumer representative shall be appointed by the governor, and the appointment shall be subject to Senate confirmation. The consumer representative shall serve at the pleasure of the governor, and any vacancy shall be filled by a gubernatorial appointment. The consumer member shall be selected from the state at large and shall possess all of the following qualifications:

            (i) Is a citizen of the United States and has been a resident of Louisiana for at least one year immediately prior to appointment.

            (ii) Has attained the age of majority.

            (iii) Has never been licensed by any of the licensing boards identified in R.S. 36:259(A), nor shall he have a spouse who has ever been licensed by a board identified in R.S. 36:259(A).

            (iv) Has never been convicted of a felony.

            (v) Does not have and has never had a material financial interest in the healthcare profession.

            (b) The consumer member shall be a full voting member of the board, except that the consumer member shall not participate in the grading of individual examinations.

            Acts 1968, No. 302, §15, eff. Jan. 1, 1969. Amended by Acts 1977, No. 684, §25; Acts 1986, No. 429, §1; Acts 1989, No. 752, §1; Acts 2018, No. 515, §2; Acts 2023, No. 34, §1.