S-0438.2/91       _______________________________________________

                                 SENATE BILL 5172

                  _______________________________________________

State of Washington              52nd Legislature             1991 Regular Session

By Senators Moore and Conner.

Read first time January 22, 1991.  Referred to Committee on Health & Long‑Term Care.Placing a practitioner of nontraditional healing arts on the Washington state medical disciplinary board.

     AN ACT Relating to the Washington state medical disciplinary board; and amending RCW 18.72.040 and 18.72.020.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

     Sec. 1.  RCW 18.72.040 and 1986 c 300 s 2 are each amended to read as follows:

     There is hereby created the "Washington state medical disciplinary board," which shall be composed of one holder of a valid license to practice medicine and surgery from each congressional district now existing or hereafter created in the state, one practitioner of nontraditional healing arts, and three members of the public appointed by the governor who meet the qualifications contained in RCW 70.39.020(2) ((shall be appointed by the governor)).  The public members' term shall be for four years.  In order to achieve staggered terms, the public member serving on the board on June 11, 1986, shall continue to serve until October 1, 1987.  The remaining two public members shall be appointed to initial terms of three years and four years, respectively.

     The board shall be an administrative agency of the state of Washington.  The attorney general shall be the advisor of the board and shall represent it in all legal proceedings.

     Sec. 2.  RCW 18.72.020 and 1986 c 259 s 115 are each amended to read as follows:

     Terms used in this chapter and in RCW 18.71.040 and 18.71.080 have the meaning set forth in this section unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:

     (1) "Board" means the medical disciplinary board.

     (2) "License" means a certificate or license to practice medicine and surgery in this state as provided for in RCW 18.71.010 and 18.71.050.

     (3) "Members" means members of the medical disciplinary board.

     (4) "Secretary" means the secretary of the medical disciplinary board.

(5) "Nontraditional healing arts" means a system of medicine as defined in RCW 18.71.011 where diagnosis and treatment are made using methods not widely accepted in the medical community.  Nontraditional healing arts include but are not limited to:  Allopathy, homeopathy, osteopathy, naturopathy, and holistic treatment.