A committee that has proposed a statewide referendum on a 2019 law allowing optometrists to perform a broader range of surgery reported that it turned more than 84,000 signatures on Tuesday in its effort to qualify for the 2020 general election ballot.
Alex Gray, an attorney for the Safe Surgery Committee, said he believes the committee turned in enough valid signatures to the secretary of state’s office to qualify the measure for the 2020 general election ballot.
The committee is required to collect 53,492 valid signatures to qualify its proposal for the ballot, according to the secretary of state’s office.
During this year’s session, supporters of the law that became Act 579 said it would allow optometrists to use more of their training and would provide easier access to eye care for patients in rural areas.
But the law’s opponents, including some ophthalmologists and other physicians, contend it would put patients at risk. Act 579 had been scheduled to become law on Wednesday, but will be suspended until the statewide vote, Gray said.