2004 Minnesota Statutes

     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 licensed 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; 2003 c 
 87 s 50