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Oregon News: License Fee Increases Proposed for 2009-2011 Budget
Published in the February 2009 Oregon State Board of Pharmacy Newsletter
License fee increases are being considered for several of the Board’s license categories for the upcoming 2009-2011 budget cycle. No one is fond of the idea of imposing increased fees on licensees but the truth is that the Board of Pharmacy’s operating revenue comes solely from its licensees and registrants. It receives no funding from the state. Predictably, as expectations and expenses increase over the years, fixed revenues eventually are unable to support a balanced budget for agency operation. The long-term plan is to implement increases for the selected categories this session and for others, including pharmaceutical wholesalers and manufacturers, during the 2011-2013 legislative session.
To put this into perspective, the last time any fees were increased was 2001. At that time, annual fees were raised for pharmacists, pharmacies, pharmacy technicians, pharmaceutical wholesalers, and pharmaceutical manufacturers. To put it in an even broader perspective, the previous fee increase for pharmacists occurred in 1989. The current proposed fee increase would be their second in 20 years. For pharmacies, the previous increase occurred in 1980 making this only their second increase in 29 years. By the time the manufacturer and wholesaler increases are proposed in 2011-2013, it will be only their second increase in over 30 years. By all standards, that is a commendable track record for any state agency.
The proposed fee increases are being presented to the legislature as part of the governor’s recommended budget. Assuming the Joint Ways & Means Committee approves and the legislature adopts the budget, the increases will be phased in over the two-year budget cycle. The proposed annual fees are as follows: pharmacist, $175; pharmacy, $300; pharmacy technician, $50; controlled substance registration, $100; and reciprocity, $300. The intent, as was the case in 2001, is to spread the increases over as many license categories as possible to lessen the burden on any one category.
