Louisiana HB 527 pushed back by sponsor

Baton Rouge, LA-Rep. Frank Hoffman (R-LA) declined to allow HB 527 to come to the House floor last week, and the bill is now on hold. The bill allows optometrists to: determine the scope of the practice of optometry, administer medication by injection, and perform several laser procedures (Yag, peripheral iridotomy [PI], and selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT).

Says James Sandefur, OD, executive director of the Optometry Association of Louisiana: “The author decided to put the bill back on the calendar and not move forward with it. It’s probably dead for the session. We can’t force the author to bring the bill to a vote. If nothing happens this session, our legislative committee and board of directors will have to decide if we want to do something next year.”