Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2003

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection and Housing, to which was referred S.B. No. 1484 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to provide for the continued regulation of occupational therapists by eliminating the current statute’s repeal date of December 31, 2003.

This measure also removes the provision of temporary permits to eligible occupational therapists that have not yet been certified.

Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the Department of Education, the American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc., the Occupational Therapy Association of Hawaii, the Hawaii Speech-Language-Hearing Association, the Hawaii Chapter of the American Physical Therapy Association, occupational therapists from Straub Clinic & Hospital, and one hundred seventeen private citizens.

Occupational therapists and occupational therapist assistants from the Queen’s Medical Center submitted testimony in support of the intent of the measure with recommendation for amendments. The occupational therapists from the Hawaii State Hospital submitted testimony in opposition to this measure and the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs offered comments on the measure.

Your Committee finds that under existing law, occupational therapists are required to meet minimum educational and examination requirements in order to be certified to practice in the Hawaii. Your Committee also finds that occupational therapists provide a valuable service to the community, assisting patients of all ages who, because of illness, injury, or developmental or psychological impairment are in need of specialized services. Your Committee believes that continued regulation of the practice of occupational therapy is necessary to safeguard the public’s health, safety, and welfare by assuring occupational therapists will be held to the highest degree of professional and ethical conduct.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection and Housing that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1484 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.