Wisconsin Statutes & Annotations
Chapter 15 - Structure of the executive branch.
15.405 - Same; attached boards and examining boards.

15.405 Same; attached boards and examining boards.
(1) Accounting examining board. There is created an accounting examining board in the department of safety and professional services. The examining board shall consist of 7 members, appointed for staggered 4-year terms. Five members shall hold certificates as certified public accountants and be eligible for licensure to practice in this state. Two members shall be public members.
(2) Examining board of architects, landscape architects, professional engineers, designers, professional land surveyors, and registered interior designers.
(ag) There is created an examining board of architects, landscape architects, professional engineers, designers, professional land surveyors, and registered interior designers in the department of safety and professional services. Any professional member appointed to the examining board shall be registered or licensed to practice architecture, landscape architecture, professional engineering, the design of engineering systems, professional land surveying, or interior design under ch. 443. The examining board shall consist of the following members appointed for 4-year terms: 3 architects, 3 landscape architects, 3 professional engineers, 3 designers, 3 professional land surveyors, 3 registered interior designers, and 12 public members.
(ar) In operation, the examining board shall be divided into an architect section, a landscape architect section, a professional engineer section, a designer section, a professional land surveyor section, and a registered interior designer section. Each section shall consist of the 3 members of the named profession appointed to the examining board and 2 public members appointed to the section. The examining board shall elect its own officers and shall meet at least twice annually.
(b) All matters pertaining to passing upon the qualifications of applicants for and the granting or revocation of registration or licensure, and all other matters of interest to either the architect, landscape architect, engineer, designer, professional land surveyor, or registered interior designer section shall be acted upon solely by the interested section.
(c) All matters of joint interest shall be considered by joint meetings of all sections of the examining board or of those sections to which the problem is of interest.
(2m) Examining board of professional geologists, hydrologists and soil scientists.
(a) There is created in the department of safety and professional services an examining board of professional geologists, hydrologists and soil scientists consisting of the following members appointed for 4-year terms:
1. Three members who are professional geologists licensed under ch. 470.
2. Three members who are professional hydrologists licensed under ch. 470.
3. Three members who are professional soil scientists licensed under ch. 470.
4. Three public members.
(b) In operation, the examining board shall be divided into a professional geologist section, a professional hydrologist section and a professional soil scientist section. Each section shall consist of the 3 members of the named profession appointed to the examining board and one public member appointed to the section. The examining board shall elect its own officers, and shall meet at least twice annually.
(c) All matters pertaining to passing upon the qualifications of applicants for and the granting or revocation of licenses, and all other matters of interest to either the professional geologist, hydrologist or soil scientist section shall be acted upon solely by the interested section.
(d) All matters of joint interest shall be considered by joint meetings of all sections of the examining board or of those sections to which the matter is of interest.
(3) Auctioneer board.
(a) There is created in the department of safety and professional services an auctioneer board consisting of the following members appointed for 4-year terms:
1. Four members, each of whom is registered under ch. 480 as an auctioneer, or is an auction company representative, as defined in s. 480.01 (3), of an auction company that is registered under ch. 480 as an auction company.
2. Three public members.
(b) No member of the board may serve more than 2 terms.
(3m) Cemetery board.
(a) In this subsection:
1. “Business representative" has the meaning given in s. 452.01 (3k).
2. “Licensed cemetery authority" means a cemetery authority that is licensed under s. 440.91 (1).
(b) There is created in the department of safety and professional services a cemetery board consisting of the following members, who shall serve 4-year terms:
1. Four members, each of whom is a business representative of a licensed cemetery authority.
2. Two public members.
(c) No member of the cemetery board may be a business representative of a religious cemetery authority, unless the religious cemetery is regulated by the board.
(d) No member of the cemetery board may serve more than 2 consecutive terms.
(5) Chiropractic examining board. There is created a chiropractic examining board in the department of safety and professional services. The chiropractic examining board shall consist of 6 members, appointed for staggered 4-year terms. Four members shall be graduates from a school of chiropractic and licensed to practice chiropractic in this state. Two members shall be public members. No person may be appointed to the examining board who is in any way connected with or has a financial interest in any chiropractic school.
(5g) Controlled substances board. There is created in the department of safety and professional services a controlled substances board consisting of the attorney general, the secretary of health services, and the secretary of agriculture, trade and consumer protection, or their designees; the chairperson of the pharmacy examining board, the chairperson of the medical examining board, the chairperson of the dentistry examining board, and the chairperson of the board of nursing, or a designee; and one psychiatrist and one pharmacologist appointed for 3-year terms.
(6) Dentistry examining board. There is created a dentistry examining board in the department of safety and professional services consisting of the following members appointed for 4-year terms:
(a) Six dentists who are licensed under ch. 447.
(b) Three dental hygienists who are licensed under ch. 447. Notwithstanding s. 15.08 (1m) (a), the dental hygienist members may participate in the preparation and grading of licensing examinations for dental hygienists.
(c) Two public members.
(6m) Hearing and speech examining board. There is created a hearing and speech examining board in the department of safety and professional services consisting of the following members appointed for 4-year terms:
(a) Three hearing instrument specialists licensed under subch. I of ch. 459.
(b) One otolaryngologist.
(c) Two audiologists licensed under subch. II of ch. 459.
(d) Two speech-language pathologists licensed under subch. II of ch. 459.
(e) Two public members. One of the public members shall be a hearing aid user.
(7) Medical examining board.
(a) There is created a medical examining board in the department of safety and professional services.
(b) The medical examining board shall consist of the following members appointed for staggered 4-year terms:
1. Nine licensed doctors of medicine.
2. One licensed doctor of osteopathy.
3. Three public members.
(c) The chairperson of the injured patients and families compensation fund peer review council under s. 655.275 shall serve as a nonvoting member of the medical examining board.
(7c) Marriage and family therapy, professional counseling, and social work examining board.
(a) There is created a marriage and family therapy, professional counseling, and social work examining board in the department of safety and professional services consisting of the following members appointed for 4-year terms:
1. Four social worker members who are certified or licensed under ch. 457.
2. Three marriage and family therapist members who are licensed under ch. 457.
3. Three professional counselor members who are licensed under ch. 457.
4. Three public members who represent groups that promote the interests of consumers of services provided by persons who are certified or licensed under ch. 457.
(am) The 4 members appointed under par. (a) 1. shall include all of the following:
1. At least one member who is certified under ch. 457 as an advanced practice social worker.
3. At least one member who is licensed under ch. 457 as a clinical social worker.
4. At least one member who is employed as a social worker by a federal, state or local governmental agency.
(b) In operation, the examining board shall be divided into a social worker section, a marriage and family therapist section and a professional counselor section. The social worker section shall consist of the 4 social worker members of the examining board and one of the public members of the examining board. The marriage and family therapist section shall consist of the 3 marriage and family therapist members of the examining board and one of the public members of the examining board. The professional counselor section shall consist of the 3 professional counselor members of the examining board and one of the public members of the examining board.
(c) All matters pertaining to granting, denying, limiting, suspending, or revoking a certificate or license under ch. 457, and all other matters of interest to either the social worker, marriage and family therapist, or professional counselor section shall be acted upon solely by the interested section of the examining board.
(d) All matters that the examining board determines are of joint interest shall be considered by joint meetings of all sections of the examining board or of those sections to which the problem is of interest.
(e) Notwithstanding s. 15.08 (4) (a), at a joint meeting of all sections of the examining board, a majority of the examining board constitutes a quorum to do business only if at least 8 members are present at the meeting. At a meeting of a section of the examining board or a joint meeting of 2 or more of the sections of the examining board, each member who is present has one vote, except as provided in par. (f).
(f) At a joint meeting of the social worker section and one or both of the other sections of the examining board, each member who is present has one vote, except that the social worker members each have three-fourths of a vote if all 4 of those members are present.
(7e) Radiography examining board. There is created in the department of safety and professional services a radiography examining board consisting of the following 7 members appointed for 4-year terms:
(a) Three members who practice radiography and who are licensed under s. 462.03 (2).
(b) One member who is a physician licensed under s. 448.04 (1) (a) and certified in radiology by the American Board of Radiology, the American Osteopathic Board of Radiology, the British Royal College of Radiologists, or the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.
(c) One member who is a radiologic physicist certified by the American Board of Radiology.
(d) Two public members.
(7f) Naturopathic medicine examining board. There is created a naturopathic medicine examining board in the department of safety and professional services consisting of the following members appointed for 4-year terms:
(a) Four naturopathic doctors licensed under s. 466.04 (1).
(b) One physician licensed under ch. 448 who works as a primary care physician and who has experience in naturopathic medicine or working with naturopathic doctors.
(c) Two public members.
(7g) Board of nursing. There is created a board of nursing in the department of safety and professional services. The board of nursing shall consist of the following members appointed for staggered 4-year terms: 5 currently licensed registered nurses under ch. 441; one currently licensed practical nurse under ch. 441; one member who is either a licensed registered nurse or a licensed practical nurse under ch. 441; and 2 public members. Each registered nurse member shall have graduated from a program in professional nursing and each practical nurse member shall have graduated from a program in practical nursing accredited by the state in which the program was conducted.
(7m) Nursing home administrator examining board. There is created a nursing home administrator examining board in the department of safety and professional services consisting of 9 members appointed for staggered 4-year terms and the secretary of health services or a designee, who shall serve as a nonvoting member. Five members shall be nursing home administrators licensed in this state. One member shall be a physician. One member shall be a nurse licensed under ch. 441. Two members shall be public members. No more than 2 members may be officials or full-time employees of this state.
(7r) Physical therapy examining board. There is created in the department of safety and professional services a physical therapy examining board consisting of the following members appointed for staggered 4-year terms:
(a) Three physical therapists who are licensed under subch. III of ch. 448.
(am) One physical therapist assistant licensed under subch. III of ch. 448.
(b) One public member.
(8) Optometry examining board. There is created an optometry examining board in the department of safety and professional services. The optometry examining board shall consist of 7 members appointed for staggered 4-year terms. Five of the members shall be licensed optometrists in this state. Two members shall be public members.
(9) Pharmacy examining board. There is created a pharmacy examining board in the department of safety and professional services. The pharmacy examining board shall consist of 7 members appointed for staggered 4-year terms. Five of the members shall be licensed to practice pharmacy in this state. Two members shall be public members.
(10m) Psychology examining board. There is created in the department of safety and professional services a psychology examining board consisting of 6 members appointed for staggered 4-year terms. Four of the members shall be psychologists licensed in this state. Two members shall be public members. The governor shall, to the extent possible, nominate to the examining board psychologists who represent different specialty areas within the field of psychology.
(10r) Real estate appraisers board.
(a) There is created a real estate appraisers board in the department of safety and professional services consisting of the following members appointed for 4-year terms:
1. Three appraisers who are certified or licensed under ch. 458.
1m. One controlling individual, as defined in s. 458.31 (6). This subdivision does not apply if s. 458.48 applies.
2. One assessor, as defined in s. 458.09 (1).
3. Two public members or, if s. 458.48 applies, 3 public members.
(b) Of the appraiser members of the board, at least one shall be certified under s. 458.06 as a general appraiser, and at least one shall be certified under s. 458.06 as a residential appraiser. No public member of the board may be connected with or have any financial interest in an appraisal business or in any other real estate-related business. Section 15.08 (1m) (am) applies to the public members of the board. No member of the board may serve more than 2 consecutive terms.
(11m) Real estate examining board. There is created a real estate examining board in the department of safety and professional services. The real estate examining board shall consist of 7 members appointed to staggered 4-year terms. Five of the members shall be real estate brokers or salespersons licensed in this state. Two members shall be public members. No member may serve more than 2 terms.
(16) Funeral directors examining board. There is created a funeral directors examining board in the department of safety and professional services. The funeral directors examining board shall consist of 6 members appointed for staggered 4-year terms. Four members shall be licensed funeral directors under ch. 445 in this state. Two members shall be public members.
(17) Cosmetology examining board. There is created a cosmetology examining board in the department of safety and professional services. The cosmetology examining board shall consist of 9 members appointed for 4-year terms. Four members shall be licensed aestheticians or cosmetologists, 2 members shall be public members, one member shall be a representative of a private school of cosmetology, one member shall be a representative of a public school of cosmetology and one member shall be a licensed electrologist. No more than 4 members may be connected with or have any financial interest in a cosmetology school.
History: 1973 c. 90, 156; 1975 c. 39, 86, 199, 200, 383, 422; 1977 c. 26, 29, 203; 1977 c. 418; 1979 c. 34 ss. 45, 47 to 52; 1979 c. 221, 304; 1981 c. 94 ss. 5, 9; 1981 c. 356; 1983 a. 27, 403, 485, 538; 1985 a. 340; 1987 a. 257 s. 2; 1987 a. 264, 265, 316; 1989 a. 316, 340; 1991 a. 39, 78, 160, 189, 269; 1993 a. 16, 102, 463, 465, 491; 1995 a. 27 s. 9126 (19); 1995 a. 225; 1995 a. 305 s. 1; 1995 a. 321, 417; 1997 a. 96, 252, 300; 2001 a. 16, 80; 2003 a. 111, 270; 2005 a. 25, 314; 2007 a. 20 s. 9121 (6) (a); 2009 a. 106; 2009 a. 149 s. 3; 2011 a. 32 ss. 110, 130 to 153; 2011 a. 190; 2013 a. 124, 358; 2015 a. 55, 195, 237; 2017 a. 59 ss. 48m, 69e; 2017 a. 113, 240, 329; 2021 a. 22, 130, 195; 2021 a. 240 s. 29.
An incumbent real estate examining board member is entitled to hold over in office until a successor is duly appointed and confirmed by the senate. The board was without authority to reimburse the nominee for expenses incurred in attending a meeting during an orientation period prior to confirmation. 63 Atty. Gen. 192.

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