STAND

STAND. COM. REP. NO.681-02

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2002

RE: H.B. No. 2056

H.D. 2

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2002

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Consumer Protection and Commerce, to which was referred H.B. No. 2056, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO SOCIAL WORK,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to protect consumers by:

(1) Creating a three-tiered licensure program for social workers to regulate social workers at the following levels:

(A) Licensed bachelor social worker (LBSW), requiring a bachelor's social work degree and the Association of Social Work Boards (ASB) basic level examination;

(B) Licensed social worker (LSW), requiring a master's or a doctoral degree and the ASB intermediate or higher level examination; and

(C) Licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) requiring the LSW qualifications, and also the ASB clinical level national examination and specific post master's clinical social work experience;

and

(2) Restricting the scope of practice of social workers under the three-tiered licensing scheme.

Your Committee finds that social workers often provide the first contact with clients who need mental health services, addiction rehabilitation services, counseling, and other social services. This bill is designed to assure that the right "match" is made between client and social worker, and that the social worker is held accountable for honesty and ethical behavior, as well as professional skill and knowledge.

Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the Clinical Social Work Society of Hawaii, Hawaii Youth Services Network, and a number of concerned citizens. The National Association of Social Workers supported the intent of this bill. The Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs is opposed to this bill.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Making additional amendments to chapter 431M, Hawaii Revised Statutes, Mental Health and Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment Insurance Benefits, to comprehensively reflect the new "licensed clinical social worker" category;

(2) Deleting a provision that "grandfathered" all LCSWs registered as of June 30, 2002, and thus exempted them from showing compliance with the licensing requirements of section 467E-7;

(3) Deleting substantive amendments to the insurance laws that fell outside of the title of this bill;

(4) Extending the repeal date of Act 229, Session Laws of Hawaii (SLH) 2001, that established the clinical social worker provisions of the social worker law, to June 30, 2004;

(5) Changing the effective date of some of the licensing provisions of this Act to July 1, 2004; and

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

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Consumer Protection and Commerce that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2056, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2056, H.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Consumer Protection and Commerce,

		____________________________ KENNETH T. HIRAKI, Chair