CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REPORT NO. 27

                            Honolulu, Hawaii
                                            , 2000

                            RE:   H.B. No. 749
                                  H.D. 3
                                  S.D. 2
                                  C.D. 1




Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say
Speaker, House of Representatives
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 2000
State of Hawaii

Honorable Norman Mizuguchi
President of the Senate
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 2000
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Conference on the disagreeing vote of the
House of Representatives to the amendments proposed by the Senate
in H.B. No. 749, H.D. 3, S.D. 2, entitled:

    "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO DIETITIANS,"

having met, and after full and free discussion, has agreed to
recommend and does recommend to the respective Houses the final
passage of this bill in an amended form.

     The purpose of this bill is to provide for the regulation of
persons calling themselves dietitians and offering dietetic
services to:

     (1) Safeguard the public health, safety, and welfare;

     (2) Protect those seeking dietetic services from incompetent
         and unscrupulous persons, and persons unauthorized to
         perform these services;

     (3) Assure the highest degree of professional conduct on the
         part of dietitians; and

 
 
                            CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REPORT NO. 27
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     (4) Assure the availability of high quality dietetic
         services.

     After much discussion, your Committee on Conference has
amended this bill by:

     (1) Adding the new chapter to title 19, Hawaii Revised
         Statutes, instead of title 25;

     (2) Changing the agency responsible for regulation from the
         Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs to the
         Department of Health (DOH);

     (3) Requiring the Director of Health (Director) to adopt
         rules as deemed necessary for the licensure of
         dietitians to protect public health and safety;

     (4) Allowing the Director to consider certain criteria as
         minimum evidence that an applicant is qualified to be
         licensed;

     (5) Replacing the requirement of successful completion of
         the nutritionist examination developed by the
         Certification Board for Nutrition Specialists with the
         registration examination for dietitians administered by
         the Commission on Dietetic Registration;

     (6) Establishing a Dietitian Licensure Special Fund (Special
         Fund) to be administered by DOH; 

     (7) Requiring that all fees be deposited into the Special
         Fund and that the funds be expended for the costs
         associated with administering the licensure program,
         including costs of education; and

     (8) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for purposes
         of style and clarity.

     Your Committee on Conference would like to clarify that this
measure is intended to protect the public by ensuring that those
persons using the title "licensed dietitian" or "dietitian" have
met the minimum standards provided for in this measure. Your
Committee on Conference would also like to clarify that this is a
title protection bill and not a practice protection bill.
Therefore, other persons engaging in aspects of dietetic practice
shall not be affected as long as they do not call themselves a
licensed dietitian or dietitian.


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

                                   Respectfully submitted on
                                   behalf of the members:         

ON THE PART OF THE SENATE          ON THE PART OF THE HOUSE



_______________________________    _______________________________
BRIAN KANNO, Co-Chair              ALEXANDER C. SANTIAGO, Co-Chair



_______________________________    _______________________________
BRIAN T. TANIGUCHI, Co-Chair       RON MENOR, Co-Chair



_______________________________    _______________________________
CAROL FUKUNAGA, Co-Chair           BERTHA C. KAWAKAMI, Co-Chair



_______________________________                                   
ANDREW LEVIN, Co-Chair