(a) The State Board of Optometry shall consist of seven (7) members appointed by the Governor as follows for terms of five (5) years subject to confirmation by the Senate:(1) After consulting The Arkansas Optometric Association, Inc., the Governor shall appoint five (5) members who are licensed optometrists and who have been engaged in the regular practice of optometry in this state for a period of three (3) years; and(2) The Governor shall appoint two (2) members from the state at large who shall not be actively engaged in or retired from the profession of optometry. One (1) member appointed under this subdivision (a)(2) shall represent consumers, and one (1) member appointed under this subdivision (a)(2) shall be sixty (60) years of age or older and shall represent the elderly. The two (2) positions under this subdivision (a)(2) may not be held by the same person. Both members appointed under this subdivision (a)(2) shall be full voting members but shall not participate in the grading of examinations.
(1) After consulting The Arkansas Optometric Association, Inc., the Governor shall appoint five (5) members who are licensed optometrists and who have been engaged in the regular practice of optometry in this state for a period of three (3) years; and
(2) The Governor shall appoint two (2) members from the state at large who shall not be actively engaged in or retired from the profession of optometry. One (1) member appointed under this subdivision (a)(2) shall represent consumers, and one (1) member appointed under this subdivision (a)(2) shall be sixty (60) years of age or older and shall represent the elderly. The two (2) positions under this subdivision (a)(2) may not be held by the same person. Both members appointed under this subdivision (a)(2) shall be full voting members but shall not participate in the grading of examinations.
(b) All vacancies on the board shall be filled in the same manner as an appointment under subsection (a) of this section.