2002 Minnesota Code
Chapters 144 - 159 Health
Chapter 153A Hearing Instrument Dispensing
Section 153A.20 Hearing instrument dispenser advisory council.

153A.20 Hearing instrument dispenser advisory council.

Subdivision 1. Membership. The commissioner shall appoint nine persons to a hearing instrument dispenser advisory council.

(a) The nine persons must include:

(1) three public members, as defined in section 214.02. At least one of the public members shall be a hearing instrument user and one of the public members shall be either a hearing instrument user or an advocate of one; and

(2) three hearing instrument dispensers certified under sections 153A.14 to 153A.20, each of whom is currently, and has been for the five years immediately preceding their appointment, engaged in hearing instrument dispensing in Minnesota and who represent the occupation of hearing instrument dispensing and who are not audiologists; and

(3) three audiologists who are certified hearing instrument dispensers or are registered as audiologists under chapter 148.

(b) The factors the commissioner may consider when appointing advisory council members include, but are not limited to, professional affiliation, geographical location, and type of practice.

(c) No two members of the advisory council shall be employees of, or have binding contracts requiring sales exclusively for, the same hearing instrument manufacturer or the same employer.

Subd. 2. Organization. The advisory council shall be organized and administered according to section 15.059, except that, notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, the advisory council shall not expire. The council may form committees to carry out its duties.

Subd. 3. Duties. At the commissioner's request, the advisory council shall:

(1) advise the commissioner regarding hearing instrument dispenser certification standards;

(2) provide for distribution of information regarding hearing instrument dispenser certification standards;

(3) review investigation summaries of competency violations and make recommendations to the commissioner as to whether the allegations of incompetency are substantiated; and

(4) perform other duties as directed by the commissioner.

HIST: 1995 c 164 s 31; 1998 c 317 s 27; 2001 c 7 s 42