A bill intended to protect alternative distributors of contact lenses and their customers advanced out of the Senate Business and Labor Committee on Wednesday.

The bill would prohibit manufacturers from providing certain brand contact lenses only to a limited number of doctors, allowing both the doctors and the manufacturing company to profit at the expense of the consumer.

"This is protecting the consumer," said Sen. Curt Bramble, R-Provo, the bill's sponsor. "It isn't intended to limit doctors' ability to prescribe for any of their patients' needs."

The bill would codify a settlement 32 attorneys general, including Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff, made with leading contact manufactures and the American Optometric Association in 2001. The agreement is set to expire later this year.