STAND

STAND. COM. REP. NO.797

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2003

RE: S.B. No. 695

S.D. 2

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2003

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 695, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PROFESSIONAL COUNSELORS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to require the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs to regulate the profession of professional counselors.

Specifically, this measure prohibits a person from using the title "licensed professional counselor" without having first obtained a license from the Department. The measure also establishes education, training, and examination requirements for licensure.

This measure also establishes a privately funded temporary trust fund under the Department to start up the licensing program.

Your Committee finds that the unlicensed professional counselors pose a threat of serious harm to the public health and safety and that consumers are at a great disadvantage in choosing a competent provider on their own, due to the complexity and technical nature of the profession. Furthermore, your Committee finds private organizations and other government programs do not offer adequate protections to the public.

Your Committee has amended this measure by making minor adjustments to the licensing exemptions and education and experience requirements. Specifically, your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Broadening the exemption for full-time students to include any student, full-time or otherwise;

(2) Modifying the exemption for government employees to apply to those whose duties and responsibilities involve the practice of professional counseling, rather than to those employed in a counseling position;

(3) Eliminating the curricular requirements for graduate level course work and degrees relating to professional counseling;

(4) Removing the condition that the two required academic terms of experience be practicum experience; and

(5) Making other technical nonsubstantive corrections.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 695, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 695, S.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

		____________________________ BRIAN T. TANIGUCHI, Chair