NC S435

Increases fee ceilings for dispensing optician licensing and registration, including examination fees from $200 to $300, renewal licenses from $100 to $250, and registration fees for optical businesses from $50 to $100.

Requires separate prescriptions for spectacles and contact lenses with expiration dates, and mandates written informed consent from patients regarding lens insertion and care.

Adds provisions for inactive license status with $50 annual fees and establishes that practicing with expired or inactive licenses subjects licensees to disciplinary action.

Expands Board authority to investigate and discipline licensees and registrants, increases maximum civil penalties from $1,000 to $2,000 per violation, and allows cost recovery for disciplinary proceedings.

Clarifies Board composition requirements including diversity considerations, allows registration of training establishments and trainees, and establishes a 25% cap on annual fee increases.