Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2004

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection and Housing, to which was referred S.B. No. 2897, S.D. 1, entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to authorize the Board of Dental Examiners (Board) to accept for licensing purposes dental and dental hygienist examination results from regional or state testing agencies if Hawaii's examinations cannot be administered.

The Board and Hawaii Dental Hygienists Association testified in support of this measure.

State law requires the dental and dental hygienist examinations to be administered twice a year. These examinations are presently administered at the Pearl Harbor Dental Clinic and there is no alternative exam site available.

The Board has been advised by the Navy that heightened security measures could force the cancellation of the exams, on notice as short as twenty-four hours. This measure would allow the Board to accept exam results from regional or state agencies should a situation arise that prevents the Board from administering a scheduled exam.

Your Committee has amended this measure to:

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. 2897, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2897, S.D. 2.