STAND. COM. REP. NO. 684

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 1421

       S.D. 2

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Affordable Housing, to which was referred S.B. No. 1421, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO CHAPTER 460, HAWAII REVISED STATUTES, OSTEOPATHY,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to create consistency between the osteopathy licensing law, in chapter 460, Hawaii Revised Statutes (HRS), and the licensing law for physicians of medicine and surgery, in chapter 453, HRS. 

     The Board of Medical Examiners submitted written comments in support of this measure.

     Your Committee finds that the regulatory laws that govern doctors of osteopathy should parallel those of medical doctors, as the two professions have a similar scope of practice.  Your Committee notes the testimony of the Board of Medical Examiners that it is of the opinion that the subject matter from chapter 453, HRS, as covered by this measure, should equally apply to osteopaths.

     Your Committee has amended this measure to make technical, nonsubstantive changes for the purposes of clarity and style.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Affordable Housing that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1421, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1421, S.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Affordable Housing,

____________________________

BRIAN T. TANIGUCHI, Chair