PHARMACY TECHNICIAN LICENSURE S.B. 468:
SUMMARY OF BILL
REPORTED FROM COMMITTEE
Senate Bill 468 (as reported without amendment)
CONTENT
The bill would amend the Public Health Code to do the following concerning pharmacy technician licensure and practice:
-- Make an exception to the requirement that a license applicant have graduated from high school or passed a GED test, if the person were a student in a pharmacy training program or were applying for a temporary license or a limited license.
-- Increase the duration of a temporary license from 210 days to one year.
-- Allow a person employed as a pharmacy technician for an employer with multiple pharmacy locations to work as a limited license pharmacy technician at any of those locations in the State.
The Code requires an individual to be licensed as a pharmacy technician if he or she performs any of the functions listed in the law, such as assisting in the dispensing process, compounding drugs, or receiving verbal orders for prescription drugs. The Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs is authorized to issue a license to an applicant who meets specified criteria, including having graduated from high school or passed the general educational development (GED) test, as well as having passed a certified pharmacy technician examination.
The Department may issue a temporary license to a person who is preparing for the exam. The Department also may issue a limited license to an individual who was working as a pharmacy technician on December 22, 2014 (the date the licensure requirement took effect). An individual who holds a limited license may act as a pharmacy technician only for the pharmacy that he or she worked for on that date.
MCL 333.17739a-333.17739c Legislative Analyst: Suzanne Lowe
FISCAL IMPACT
The bill would have a negative, but likely minor, fiscal impact on the Bureau of Health Care Systems within the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, and no fiscal impact on local units of government. The bill would allow a limited license pharmacy technician to use his or her license to work at multiple locations owned by the same employer. This would potentially reduce the number of limited licenses issued, as licensees who move from one location to another currently must obtain another license and pay the requisite $35 fee. It is unknown how many limited license pharmacists make such a move each year, but the fiscal impact from the loss of that fee revenue would likely be minor.
Date Completed: 9-10-15 Fiscal Analyst: Josh Sefton
This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.