(A) There is created the Board of Podiatry Examiners to be composed of five members, appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate, one of whom must be a lay member from the State at large, one of whom must be a podiatrist from the State at large who shall serve as chairman, and three of whom must be podiatrists, one from each of these districts:
(1) the Upper District comprised of Oconee, Pickens, Anderson, Greenville, Spartanburg, Cherokee, Union, York, Chester, Fairfield, Lancaster, Newberry, Saluda, Edgefield, McCormick, Greenwood, Laurens, and Abbeville counties;
(2) the Central District comprised of Kershaw, Chesterfield, Marlboro, Darlington, Lee, Sumter, Clarendon, Richland, Calhoun, Orangeburg, Lexington, Aiken, Barnwell, and Allendale counties; and
(3) the Lower District comprised of Hampton, Jasper, Beaufort, Colleton, Charleston, Dorchester, Bamberg, Berkeley, Williamsburg, Georgetown, Florence, Horry, Marion, and Dillon counties.
(B) The podiatrist at large and the lay member serve coterminously with the appointing Governor and until their successors are appointed and qualify. The board shall conduct an election to nominate three podiatrists from each district to be submitted to the Governor for consideration for appointment. The Governor shall appoint one podiatrist to represent each district from among the nominees submitted for that district. The election shall provide for participation by all podiatrists currently licensed. The podiatrists elected must be residents of the district they represent, licensed, and in good standing to practice podiatry in this State and actively engaged in the practice of podiatry in this State. The elected members of the board representing the three districts shall serve a four-year term. No member may serve more than one consecutive term of office; however, a person appointed to fill an unexpired portion of a term if reelected and reappointed may serve one full term.
(C) Before January sixteenth in the year in which the term expires for a member representing a district, a qualified podiatrist desiring to be a candidate for the board must submit to the secretary of the board a biography and a statement indicating a desire to be a candidate for the board. The secretary, in conjunction with the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation, shall prepare ballots for mailing to all licensed podiatrists. The ballots must be in a form that makes tabulation quick and easy and shall contain the names of the nominees in alphabetical order. Enclosures to accompany the ballots shall include the envelope in which the ballot is to be sealed and an envelope addressed to the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation.
(D) Ballots must be mailed before April second to the last known mailing address of all licensed podiatrists and must be returned to the department postmarked before May second and received by the office before May eleventh. The secretary of the board shall certify in the presence of an employee of the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation who is not employed by the board that these ballots are true and valid.
(E) Before June second the board shall certify in writing to the Governor the names of the three persons winning the election and the name of the person on the board the nominees are being considered to replace.
(F) Notwithstanding subsection (B), if a nominee is judged unfit by the Governor, the board must be informed and other nominees must be submitted in like manner.
(G) Vacancies must be filled in the manner of the original appointment for the unexpired portion of the term.
HISTORY: 1962 Code Section 56-1543.2; 1952 Code Section 56-302; 1942 Code Section 5231-5; 1935 (39) 180; 1960 (51) 1717; 1982 Act No. 393, Section 1; 1993 Act No. 28, Section 1; 1996 Act No. 241, Section 2.
Structure South Carolina Code of Laws
Title 40 - Professions and Occupations
Chapter 51 - Podiatrists And Podiatry
Section 40-51-20. Definitions.
Section 40-51-30. Board of Podiatry Examiners; members; terms; removal; legal adviser.
Section 40-51-40. Regulations of board; continuing education.
Section 40-51-50. License required.
Section 40-51-57. Preceptorships and residency programs.
Section 40-51-60. Board to determine fee for practicing podiatry.
Section 40-51-65. License required to practice; examination; qualifications; temporary license.
Section 40-51-67. Joint Podiatric Surgery Advisory Committee.
Section 40-51-70. Board to make regulations governing examinations and meetings.
Section 40-51-80. Examinations.
Section 40-51-100. Fees for examinations; reexamination.
Section 40-51-110. Reciprocity.
Section 40-51-120. Designation of licensed persons.
Section 40-51-130. Display of licenses.
Section 40-51-140. Annual renewal of licenses; continuing education requirements.
Section 40-51-150. Grounds for revocation of licenses.
Section 40-51-160. Procedure for denying or revoking licenses.
Section 40-51-180. Use of license fees.
Section 40-51-190. Annual report of board.
Section 40-51-200. Acts considered prima facie evidence of practicing podiatry.
Section 40-51-210. Podiatric surgeries; facilities.
Section 40-51-230. Exemptions.
Section 40-51-240. Fitting and sale of shoes and arch supports.
Section 40-51-260. Right of recipients of government aid or services to choose podiatrists.
Section 40-51-270. Board member not to serve as officer in state podiatry association.