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First Substitute S.B. 176


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Senate 3rd Reading Amendments 2-20-2006 rd/jlw

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Senate 2nd Reading Amendments 2-17-2006 rd/jlw
This document includes Senate 2nd Reading Floor Amendments incorporated into the bill on Fri, Feb 17, 2006 at 5:02 PM by rday. --> This document includes Senate 3rd Reading Floor Amendments incorporated into the bill on Mon, Feb 20, 2006 at 11:19 AM by rday. --> This document includes Senate 3rd Reading Floor Amendments (CORRECTED) incorporated into the bill on Mon, Feb 20, 2006 at 11:54 AM by rday. -->
Senator Curtis S. Bramble proposes the following substitute bill:


             1     
CONTACT LENS CONSUMER PROTECTION

             2     
ACT

             3     
2006 GENERAL SESSION

             4     
STATE OF UTAH

             5     
Chief Sponsor: Curtis S. Bramble

             6     
House Sponsor: Jeff Alexander

             7     

             8      LONG TITLE
             9      General Description:
             10          This bill enacts the Contact Lens Consumer Protection Act within the Utah Optometry
             11      Practice Act in relation to prescribing, marketing, selling, and certifying contact lenses.
             12      Highlighted Provisions:
             13          This bill:
             14          .    defines "alternative channels of distribution," "brand," and "prescriber" for purposes
             15      of the Contact Lens Consumer Protection Act;
             16          .    provides that a prescriber of contact lenses who prescribes a brand of contact lenses
             17      to a patient, which brand is not certified by affidavit as being available in a
             18      commercially reasonable and nondiscriminatory manner to prescribers and S. [ directly
             19      to, and generally within, all
] entities associated with prescribers and to .S
alternative channels
             19a      of distribution, may not also sell
             20      that brand to the same patient unless it is certified at the time of sale;
             21          .    provides for exceptions to certification;
             22          .    provides for a listing of all brands of contact lenses that have been certified to be
             23      made available to all prescribers;
             23a      S.     provides for manufacturer's conduct; .S
             24          .    provides prohibitions; and
             25          .    provides penalties for violations of the certification provisions.



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Senate 2nd Reading Amendments 2-17-2006 rd/jlw
             26
     Monies Appropriated in this Bill:
             27          None
             28      Other Special Clauses:
             29          None
             30      Utah Code Sections Affected:
             31      ENACTS:
             32          58-16a-901, Utah Code Annotated 1953
             33          58-16a-902, Utah Code Annotated 1953
             34          58-16a-903, Utah Code Annotated 1953
             35          58-16a-904, Utah Code Annotated 1953
             36          58-16a-905, Utah Code Annotated 1953
             37          58-16a-906, Utah Code Annotated 1953
             38          58-16a-907, Utah Code Annotated 1953
             39          58-16a-908, Utah Code Annotated 1953
             40          58-16a-909, Utah Code Annotated 1953
             41     

             42      Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
             43          Section 1. Section 58-16a-901 is enacted to read:
             44     
Part 9. Contact Lens Consumer Protection Act

             45          58-16a-901. Title.
             46          This part is known as the "Contact Lens Consumer Protection Act."
             47          Section 2. Section 58-16a-902 is enacted to read:
             48          58-16a-902. Policy.
             49          It is the policy of the state that citizens who wear contact lenses pursuant to valid
             50      prescriptions should not be denied the opportunity to purchase their contact lenses from their
             51      retailer of choice.
             52          Section 3. Section 58-16a-903 is enacted to read:
             53          58-16a-903. Definitions.
             54          As used in this part:
             55          (1) "Alternative channels of distribution" means S. [ a ] any .S mail order company,
             55a      Internet
             56      retailer, pharmacy, buying club, department store, or mass merchandise outlet, without regard



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Senate 3rd Reading Amendments 2-20-2006 rd/jlw

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Senate 2nd Reading Amendments 2-17-2006 rd/jlw
             57
     to whether it is associated with a prescriber S. , unless the account meets the definition of a
             57a      competitor as provided for in this section .S .
             58          (2) "Brand" means manufacturer's brand or equivalent brand of the same lens made by
             59      the same manufacturer under federal law.
             59a      S.     (3) "Competitor " means an entity that manufactures contact lenses and wholesales
             59b      those lenses in direct competition with any other manufacturer within the state.
             60           [ (3) ] (4) .S "Manufacturer" means a manufacturer, its parents, subsidiaries, affiliates,
             61      successors, and assigns.
             62           S. [ (4) ] (5) .S "Prescriber" means an individual licensed or authorized to prescribe contact
             62a      lenses
             63      under this title.
             64          Section 4. Section 58-16a-904 is enacted to read:
             65          58-16a-904. Prescribing contact lenses -- Branding.
             66          (1) A prescriber who prescribes to a patient a brand of contact lenses which is not
             67      certified by affidavit under Section 58-16a-905 , may not knowingly and intentionally then sell
             68      that brand to the same patient or have a financial or legal relationship with any other person S. or
             68a      entity .S
             69      who sells the brand to the same patient.
             70          (2) For purposes of this chapter, Subsection (1) does not apply to:
             71          (a) rigid gas permeable lenses;
             72          (b) bitoric gas permeable lenses;
             73          (c) bifocal gas permeable lenses; and
             74          (d) keratoconus lenses
             74a      S.     (e) custom soft toric lenses that are manufactured for an individual patient and are not
             74b      mass marketed or mass produced; and
             74c          (f) custom designed lenses that are manufactured for an individual patient and are not
             74d      mass marketed or mass produced .S .
             75          (3) This section supercedes conflicting sections.
             76          Section 5. Section 58-16a-905 is enacted to read:
             77          58-16a-905. Certification of availability of contact lenses.
             78          (1) Beginning June 1, 2006, a manufacturer of contact lenses doing business in the
             79      state may certify by affidavit to the Attorney General those brands of contact lenses produced,
             80      marketed, distributed, or sold by the manufacturer that are made available in a commercially
             81      reasonable and nondiscriminatory manner to prescribers and entities associated with prescribers
             82      and S. [ directly ] .S to S. [ , and generally within, all ] .S alternative channels of distribution.
             83          (2) If a manufacturer certifies its lenses under Subsection (1), it shall also file a copy of
             84      the affidavit required under Subsection (1) with the S. [ State Board of Optometry ] Optometrist


            
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Senate 3rd Reading Amendments 2-20-2006 rd/jlw
84a
     Licensing Board .S and the S. [ State
             85      Board of Medical Examiners
] Physicians Licensing Board .S
.
             86          (3) Subsections (1) and (2) also apply any time a brand is made available.
             87          (4) Any time a brand certified under Subsection (1) ceases to be made available after



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Senate 3rd Reading Amendments 2-20-2006 rd/jlw

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Senate 2nd Reading Amendments 2-17-2006 rd/jlw
             88
     June 1, 2006, the manufacturer shall immediately certify that fact by affidavit to:
             89          (a) the Attorney General;
             90          (b) the S. [ State Board of Optometry ] Optometrist Licensing Board .S ; and
             91          (c) the S. [ State Board of Examiners ] Physicians Licensing Board .S .
             92          Section 6. Section 58-16a-906 is enacted to read:
             93          58-16a-906. Publication of list of certified lenses.
             94          (1) In order for a prescriber to determine which brands of contact lenses may be
             95      prescribed and sold to the same patient under this part, the S. [ State Board of Optometry ]
             95a      Optometrist Licensing Board .S and the
             96      S. [ State Board of Medical Examiners ] Physicians Licensing Board .S shall make available to
             96a      all prescribers a listing of all brands
             97      of contact lenses certified under Section 58-16a-905 .
             98          (2) A prescriber shall determine whether a brand of contact lenses is certified under
             99      Section 58-16a-905 prior to selling or facilitating the sale by another person with whom the
             100      prescriber has a financial or legal relationship of the brand of lenses to a patient to whom he
             101      prescribed that brand.
             102          Section 7. Section 58-16a-907 is enacted to read:
             103          58-16a-907. Manufacturers' conduct.
             104          (1) A manufacturer may exercise its independent business judgment to open or
             105      maintain an account with any seller of contact lenses as long as the manufacturer does not
             106      discriminate based on whether the S. [ channel of trade ] account .S is directly or indirectly
             106a      affiliated with a
             107      prescriber.
             108          (2) Subject to the limitation of Subsection (1), nothing in Sections 58-16a-905 and
             109      58-16a-906 is intended to require a manufacturer to:
             110          (a) S. sell to a competitor;
             110a          (b) .S sell contact lenses to different contact lens distributors or customers at the same
             111      price;
             112           S. [ (b) ] (c) .S open or maintain any account for a contact lens seller found to be in
             112a      violation of
             113      applicable state and federal laws regarding the sale of contact lenses;
             114           S. [ (c) ] (d) .S decide whether S. [ its ] a low volume .S account with a contact lens
             114a      seller is a direct account or handled
             115      through a distributor; or
             116           S. [ (d) ] (e) .S sell lenses that are being test marketed on a limited basis in one geographic
             116a      area to
             117      customers in all geographic areas.
             118          Section 8. Section 58-16a-908 is enacted to read:



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             119
         58-16a-908. Prohibitions.
             120          (1) A person may not directly or indirectly provide or offer to provide to a prescriber as
             121      an inducement to prescribe a brand of contact lenses a gift, gratuity, cash, or other item or
             122      service of monetary value, including any action, commitment, or agreement, intended to have
             123      or having the effect of prohibiting or otherwise inhibiting competition in the sale of contact
             124      lenses.
             125          (2) Subsection (1) does not apply to items or service of an educational nature or of de
             126      minimus monetary value.
             127          Section 9. Section 58-16a-909 is enacted to read:
             128          58-16a-909. Penalties for violations.
             129          (1) Knowingly and intentionally violating Section 58-16a-904 or Subsection
             130      58-16a-906 (2) is considered unprofessional conduct.
             131          (2) (a) Making a wrongful certification under Section 58-16a-905 is a class A
             132      misdemeanor.
             133          (b) The attorney general may bring a civil action or seek an injunction and a civil
             134      penalty against a person making a wrongful certification under Section 58-16a-905 .


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