THE SENATE	S.C.R. NO.	223
TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2008
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

REQUESTING A SUNRISE REVIEW OF athletic trainers.

     WHEREAS, certified athletic trainers are health care professionals who specialize in the prevention, assessment, immediate care, treatment, referral, and rehabilitation of injuries and illnesses sustained by athletes and others engaged in physical activity; and

     WHEREAS, athletic trainers are certified by the National Athletic Trainers Board of Certification, an independent credentialing agency whose certifications are based upon standards that provide protection to the public and indicate that the athletic trainers have knowledge and skill in six practice domains of athletic training; and

     WHEREAS, the Legislature has affirmed the value, importance, and qualifications of certified athletic trainers in the past by appropriating funds to place certified athletic trainers in each of Hawaii's public secondary schools; and

     WHEREAS, in addition to the public secondary schools, certified athletic trainers are employed in private secondary schools, colleges and universities, physician offices, hospitals, sports medicine clinics, the military, and fitness centers; and

     WHEREAS, there are currently one hundred sixty-five certified athletic trainers in the State of Hawaii; and

     WHEREAS, the University of Hawaii-Manoa has an accredited athletic training curriculum; and

     WHEREAS, because the public has difficulty discerning the difference between athletic trainers, personal trainers, and boxing trainers, there is a risk that unqualified non-credentialed persons will represent themselves as "trainers" and mislead members of the public into believing that they are receiving care from health care professionals; and

     WHEREAS, there is a risk that Hawaii's athletic population could suffer consequences such as chronic pain, disability, or loss of life if health care is received from unqualified practitioners; and

     WHEREAS, athletic trainers routinely work with children as young as twelve but are one of the few types of medical professionals not regulated in Hawaii; and

     WHEREAS, licensure would ensure that Hawaii's athletic population receives specialized emergency care and appropriate treatment and rehabilitation and meet appropriate criteria before being returned to play; and

     WHEREAS, licensure would require and verify, as is now required of other health care professions, demonstration of minimum competency in the profession; and

     WHEREAS, licensure would provide a mechanism to report and remedy malpractice and ethical violations, thereby reducing an existing threat of harm to the public; and

     WHEREAS, as Hawaii is one of the few states without licensure there is no one to whom the National Athletic Trainers Association Board of Certification can report disciplinary actions to ensure that appropriate action is taken to protect the public; and

     WHEREAS, the Legislature adopted House Concurrent Resolution 67, Senate Draft 1, "Requesting a Sunrise Review of Athletic Health Care Trainers," in 2005; and

     WHEREAS, the Auditor did not perform the requested analysis because the resolution did not identify a specific legislative bill to be analyzed, as required by section 26H-6, Hawaii Revised Statutes; and

     WHEREAS, House Bill No. 593 was introduced in the 2007 Regular Session and calls for the regulation of athletic trainers through licensure; now, therefore,

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-fourth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2008, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Auditor is requested to perform a sunrise review regarding the licensure of athletic trainers; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Auditor is requested to submit findings and recommendations, including any proposed amendments to new legislation containing the elements of House Bill No. 593, to the Legislature not later than twenty days before the convening of the Regular Session of 2009; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a certified copy of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Auditor.

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title: 

Athletic Trainers; Sunrise Review