You can't practice without a license granted by the State of California.
The State Board of Optometry (SBO) issues that license and can take it away.
The State Legislature - Assembly and Senate - define what you can and cannot do in your practice.
Nine of the SBO's members are appointed by the governor; legislative leaders appoint the other two.
Your competitors work hard to gain every legal advantage they can get over you in every branch of state government.
That's why COA uses your dues to support a wide array of resources to advance optometry and protect your interests. COA invites you to join your leaders and peers on the front lines.
COA passed all three of our sponsored bills in 2021 and protected a bill that closed a legal loophole related to the corporate practice of optometry. This is a direct return on your dues investment. In 2022, COA passed SB 1237 to waive license renewal fees for optometrists in the military.
COA protected language in AB 1534, the board’s sunset bill, that requires physicians to be subject to the protections in B&P Code 655 (prohibiting interference in professional judgment). This is intended to make all companies follow the same rules and not allow corporations to use a physician group to get around the law. The lobbyists for some retail chains fought hard to oppose this provision. This bill also significantly increases fines for large companies that continue to break the law.
Have you communicated with your legislators by letter, fax, email or phone? Worked on a legislative campaign or gone to a fundraiser? Have you attended COA Legislative Day? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you already are a Key Person!
A Key Person is a COA member volunteer, an OD or student, who educates lawmakers about issues important to optometry. This grassroots work is incredibly powerful, as Legislators really do listen to their constituents.
There’s no better advocate than a doctor of optometry willing to commit time and resources to educate candidates for state office about the profession and to build relationships with lawmakers. Ready to win one for optometry?
Learn how and become a key to COA’s ongoing legislative success.