STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1205

                                 Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                   , 1999

                                 RE: S.B. No. 1136
                                     S.D. 2
                                     H.D. 1




Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say
Speaker, House of Representatives
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 1999
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Health, to which was referred S.B. No.
1136, S.D. 2, entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO REGULATION OF OSTEOPATHY,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to repeal the board of
osteopathic examiners and transfer the function of that board to
the board of medical examiners.

     Your Committee finds that abolition of the board and
transfer of its functions comports with past sunset reports of
the Auditor.  The Board of Osteopathy has historically had
minimal activity and received few complaints.  Additionally, the
two fields, osteopathy and medicine, have converged in recent
years, making regulation by one board logical and feasible.  Your
Committee notes that in its 1992 study, the Auditor found that
twenty-one states used a single board to regulate both
professions.

     Your Committee has amended the bill by removing its contents
and substituting the contents of H.B. No. 1074, H.D. 1.  As
amended, this bill is substantially identical to the one it
replaces, with two exceptions:  it adds two osteopaths to the
board of medical examiners instead of four, and, in recognition
that there is no delineation between osteopathic physicians and

 
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                                 Page 2

 
surgeons, the references to osteopathic surgeons have been
deleted in the statutes.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Health that is attached to this report, your
Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No.
1136, S.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass
Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1136,
S.D. 2, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Consumer
Protection and Commerce.

                                   Respectfully submitted on
                                   behalf of the members of the
                                   Committee on Health,



                                   ______________________________
                                   ALEXANDER C. SANTIAGO, Chair

 
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