STAND. COM. REP. NO.3103
Honolulu, Hawaii
, 2002
RE: S.C.R. No. 88
S.D. 1
Honorable Robert Bunda
President of the Senate
Twenty-First State Legislature
Regular Session of 2002
State of Hawaii
Sir:
Your Committee on Health and Human Services, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 88 entitled:
"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING AN EVALUATION OF OPTOMETRY REGULATION,"
begs leave to report as follows:
The purpose of this measure is to request the Auditor to conduct an evaluation of the optometry regulatory program established under chapter 459, Hawaii Revised Statutes. In particular, the Auditor shall evaluate the proper scope of optometric practices and the prescriptive authority of optometrists.
Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Board of Examiners in Optometry, Hawaii Medical Association, the Hawaii Opthalmological Society, Windward Eye Physicians and Surgeons, and four individuals. Your Committee received testimony opposing this measure from the Hawaii Optometric Association, Vision Care Centers of Hawaii, Glenn Kunimura, O.D., Inc., Mid Pacific Eyecare, Leeward Eye Care, Inc., Eye Care Associates of Hawaii, Big Island Vision Center, and ten individuals.
Your Committee finds it is important and necessary to protect the health, safety, and welfare of optometric patients. Only recently have optometrists had prescriptive authority, which would benefit from a review. Further, advances in optometric technology give rise to various issues related to the proper scope of optometric practices.
Upon further consideration, your Committee has amended this measure by:
(1) Deleting all references to the Auditor conducting an evaluation of optometry regulation;
(2) Changing the TITLE to read "Requesting a Study of Optometric Therapy Laws";
(3) Inserting a WHEREAS clause describing the health care services provided by optometrists;
(4) Inserting a WHEREAS clause describing the educational requirements for an Doctor of Optometry degree;
(5) Inserting a WHEREAS clause regarding the possible restrictive nature of Chapter 459, Hawaii Revised Statutes;
(6) Changing the BE IT RESOLVED clause to request the Legislative Reference Bureau (Bureau) to study optometric therapy laws within the fifty states, with a focus on the use of oral medications, treatment of glaucoma, and ocular pain within the scope of practice and prescriptive authority of optometrists; and
(7) Making conforming changes to the BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED clauses requesting reporting by the Bureau and distribution of copies of the measure to the Bureau.
As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health and Human Services that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 88, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to the Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection and Housing, in the form attached hereto as S.C.R. No. 88, S.D. 1.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Health and Human Services,
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____________________________ DAVID MATSUURA, Chair |
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