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UNOFFICIAL COPY  26 RS BR 2563
1A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION establishing the Optometric Practice Task
2 Force.
3WHEREAS, the field of optometry has undergone significant clinical and
4 technological evolution which has expanded the primary eye care services available to
5 residents of the Commonwealth; and
6WHEREAS, the complexity of modern optometric practice requires a regulatory
7 framework that balances patient access to care with the highest standards of clinical
8 safety; and
9WHEREAS,  recent   legislative     and    administrative   changes   to   licensure
10 requirements, specifically licensure exam requirements, have altered the profession and
11 practice of optometry; and
12WHEREAS, the maintenance of professional competency through rigorous training
13 and licensure requirements is essential to ensuring that practitioners remain current and
14 up to date in a rapidly advancing profession; and
15WHEREAS, recent legislative and regulatory changes have expanded therapeutic
16 practice and the scope of optometric practice to include certain traditionally ophthalmic
17 procedures such as injections and laser surgeries; and
18WHEREAS, the Kentucky Board of Optometric Examiners (KBOE) is charged
19 with the responsibility of overseeing these expanded practice privileges to ensure uniform
20 adherence to medical protocols; and
21WHEREAS, the current composition and structure of the KBOE may warrant
22 reevaluation to ensure it reflects the rapidly evolving and diverse needs of the profession
23 and the public; and
24WHEREAS, a comprehensive review of the scope of practice of optometrists and
25 regulatory oversight of the profession is critically necessary to provide the General
26 Assembly with informed data-driven recommendations for future policy considerations;
27NOW, THEREFORE,
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1 Be it resolved by the Senate of the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of
2 Kentucky, the House of Representatives concurring therein:
3Section 1. The Legislative Research Commission is hereby directed to establish
4 the Optometric Practice Task Force. The task force shall conduct a comprehensive review
5 of the regulatory and clinical landscape of the practice of optometry within the
6 Commonwealth and shall specifically review and make recommendations regarding, but
7 not limited to, the following:
8(a)     The scope of practice of optometry;
9(b)     Expanded therapeutic practice;
10(c)     Licensure and education requirements; and
11(d)     Composition of the Kentucky Board of Optometric Examiners.
12Section 2.        The Optometric Practice Task Force shall be composed of the
13 following members, with final membership of the task force being subject to the
14 consideration and approval of the Legislative Research Commission:
15(a)     Two members of the House of Representatives who are members of the
16 Interim Joint Committee on Health Services, appointed by the Speaker of the House of
17 Representatives, one of whom shall be designated by the Speaker of the House of
18 Representatives as co-chair of the task force;
19(b)     One member of the House of Representatives who is a member of the Interim
20 Joint Committee on Health Services, appointed by the Minority Floor Leader of the
21 House of Representatives;
22(c)     Two members of the Senate who are members of the Interim Joint Committee
23 on Health Services, appointed by the President of the Senate, one of whom shall be
24 designated by the Speaker of the House of Representatives as co-chair of the task force;
25(d)     One member of the Senate who is a member of the Interim Joint Committee
26 on Health Services, appointed by the Minority Floor Leader of the Senate;
27(e)     The President of the Kentucky Board of Optometric Examiners or his or her
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1 designee;
2(f)     The President of the Kentucky Optometric Association or his or her designee;
3(g)     The President of the Kentucky Board of Medical Licensure or his or her
4 designee;
5(h)     The President of the Kentucky Academy of Eye Physicians and Surgeons;
6(i)     A representative of the University of Kentucky College of Medicine,
7 appointed by the dean of the University of Kentucky College of Medicine;
8(j)     A representative of the University of Louisville School of Medicine,
9 appointed by the dean of the University of Louisville School of Medicine;
10(k)     A representative of the Kentucky College of Optometry at the University of
11 Pikeville, appointed by the dean of the Kentucky College of Optometry; and
12(l)     The Attorney General or his or her designee.
13Section 3.       The task force shall meet monthly during the 2026 Interim of the
14 General Assembly and shall submit findings and recommendations to the Legislative
15 Research Commission for referral to the appropriate committees by October 31, 2026.
16Section 4.       Provisions of the Resolution to the contrary notwithstanding, the
17 Legislative Research Commission shall have the authority to alternatively assign the
18 issues identified herein to an interim joint committee or subcommittee thereof, and to
19 designate a study completion date.
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