STAND. COM. REP. NO. 498-04
Honolulu, Hawaii
, 2004
RE: H.B. No. 2140
H.D. 1
Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say
Speaker, House of Representatives
Twenty-Second State Legislature
Regular Session of 2004
State of Hawaii
Sir:
Your Committee on Consumer Protection and Commerce, to which was referred H.B. No. 2140 entitled:
"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO MANDATORY CONTINUING EDUCATION FOR PHARMACISTS,"
begs leave to report as follows:
The purpose of this bill is to require pharmacists to complete 30 hours of continuing education classes as a condition of license renewal. The continuing education requirement will become effective for the license renewal period ending on December 31, 2007.
Testimony in support of the bill was received from the Hawaii Pharmacists Association, the Hawaii Medical Services Association, Kaiser Permanente and a private citizen. The Board of Pharmacy (Board) and Department of Health supported the intent of the bill.
As our population ages and health-related science makes impressive advances, more people are taking increasing numbers of drugs, many of them newly developed, for longer periods of time. The increasing complexity of patient care related to drugs makes it crucial that pharmacists, who are the final healthcare professional between patients and drugs, keep abreast of developments in pharmacology. With the passage of this legislation, pharmacists in Hawaii, and thus in all 50 states, will be required to complete a continuing education requirement.
Your Committee has amended this bill to include the recommendations of the Board by:
(1) Amending the definition of "continuing education course" to clarify the basis for mandating continuing education;
(2) Including in the provisions of the pharmacist law providing for license forfeiture upon failure to pay the biennial fee, a reference to the failure to meet continuing education requirements;
(3) Removing ambiguities in the provisions controlling the start date of the continuing education requirement;
(4) Removing the specified audit start date of January 1, 2007, to allow the Board to conduct audits of licensee continuing education compliance prior to this date; and
(5) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for clarity, consistency, and style.
Your Committee notes that the Hawaii Pharmacists Association believes that the definition of "continuing education course" can be further refined. Its representative will work with the Board and, if they reach an accord, revised language will be presented to the Senate.
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. 2140, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2140, H.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Consumer Protection and Commerce,
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____________________________ KENNETH T. HIRAKI, Chair |
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