STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1530

                                   Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                     , 1999

                                   RE:  H.B. No. 749
                                        H.D. 3
                                        S.D. 2




Honorable Norman Mizuguchi
President of the Senate
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 1999
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred H.B.
No. 749, H.D. 3, S.D. 1, entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO DIETITIANS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to establish a dietitian
certification program effective January 1, 2010.

     Your Committee finds that nutrition plays a vital role in
growth and brain development, the prevention of diseases such as
cancer, the control and treatment of many diseases including
arteriosclerosis and diabetes, and the attainment and maintenance
of health.  Although there has been a virtual explosion in the
amount of information available to the public about nutrition,
much of this information is contradictory, confusing, and
misleading and, when followed, may actually undermine rather than
improve a person's health.

     Your Committee agrees with the intent of this bill to
provide for the regulation of persons offering dietetic services
in order to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the
public, protect those seeking dietetic services from incompetent
and unscrupulous persons and persons unauthorized to perform
these services, assure the highest degree of professional conduct

 
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on the part of dietitians, and assure the availability of high
quality dietetic services.

     Upon further consideration, your Committee has amended this
bill by:

     (1)  Providing for licensure, rather than certification, of
          dietitians;

     (2)  Adding background information on the importance of
          nutrition and dietetics and the need for regulation;

     (3)  Restoring the definition of "Commission on
          Accreditation";

     (4)  Deleting the current certification requirements
          requiring the applicant to be a current active
          registered dietitian, and inserting licensure
          requirements relating to education, experience,
          examination, and a report of disciplinary action in
          another jurisdiction;

     (5)  Specifying that an individual who provides evidence of
          current registration in the American Dietetic
          Association is deemed to have met the educational and
          supervised practice experience requirements for
          licensure;

     (6)  Changing the effective date from January 1, 2010, to
          January 1, 2000; and

     (7)  Making technical, nonsubstantive changes for the
          purposes of clarity and consistency.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your
Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No.
749, H.D. 3, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it
pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 749,
H.D. 3, S.D. 2.


 
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                                 Respectfully submitted on behalf
                                 of the members of the Committee
                                 on Ways and Means,



                                 ________________________________
                                 CAROL FUKUNAGA, Co-Chair



                                 ________________________________
                                 ANDREW LEVIN, Co-Chair

 
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