Mississippi Code 1972 (2023) › Title 73 - PROFESSIONS AND VOCATIONS (§§ 73-1-1 — 73-79-1) › Chapter 19 - OPTOMETRY AND OPTOMETRISTS (§§ 73-19-1 — 73-19-195) › GENERAL PROVISIONS (§§ 73-19-1 — 73-19-45) › Section 73-19-43 - Penalties; petition for reinstatement of license; disciplinary action not bar to criminal prosecution; payment and collection of monetary penalty

(1)
Upon finding of the existence of grounds for discipline of any person holding a license, seeking a license, or seeking to renew a license under the provisions of this chapter, the board may impose one or more of the following penalties:
(a)
Suspension of the offender's license for a term to be determined by the board;
(b)
Revocation of the offender's license;
(c)
Restriction of the offender's license to prohibit the offender from performing certain acts or from engaging in the practice of optometry in a particular manner for a term to be determined by the board;
(d)
Imposition of a monetary penalty as follows:
(i)
For the first violation, a monetary penalty of not less than Fifty Dollars ($50.00) nor more than Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00) for each violation;
(ii)
For the second violation and subsequent violations, a monetary penalty of not less than One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) nor more than One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00) for each violation;
(e)
Refusal to renew offender's license;
(f)
Placement of the offender on probation and supervision by the board for a period to be determined by the board;
(g)
Public or private reprimand.
(2)
Any person whose license has been suspended, revoked or restricted pursuant to this chapter, whether voluntarily or by action of the board, shall have the right to petition the board at reasonable intervals for reinstatement of such license. Such petition shall be made in writing and in the form prescribed by the board. Upon investigation and hearing, the board may, in its discretion, grant or deny such petition, or it may modify its original finding to reflect any circumstances which have changed sufficiently to warrant such modifications. The procedure for the reinstatement of a license that is suspended for being out of compliance with an order for support, as defined in Section
93-11-153
, shall be governed by Section
93-11-157
or
93-11-163
, as the case may be.
(3)
Nothing herein shall be construed as barring criminal prosecutions for violation of this chapter where such violations are deemed as criminal offenses in other statutes of this state or of the United States.
(4)
A monetary penalty assessed and levied under this section shall be paid to the board by the licensee upon the expiration of the period allowed for appeal of such penalties under Section
73-19-45
, Mississippi Code of 1972, or may be paid sooner if the licensee elects. Money collected by the board under this section shall be deposited to the credit of the General Fund of the State Treasury.
(5)
When payment of a monetary penalty assessed and levied by the board against a licensee in accordance with this section is not paid by the licensee when due under this section, the board shall have the power to institute and maintain proceedings in its name for enforcement of payment in the Chancery Court of the First Judicial District of Hinds County, Mississippi. When such proceedings are instituted, the board shall certify its order to the chancery court and the matter shall thereupon be heard in due course by the court, which shall review the order and make its determination thereon. The hearing on the matter may, in the discretion of the chancellor, be tried in vacation. If the chancellor finds no errors on the face of the board's order, the board shall have a judgment for the amount due which shall be enforceable as all other judgments.
Laws, 1991, ch. 303, § 21; Laws, 1996, ch. 507, § 46, eff. 7/1/1996.