STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3165

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    H.B. No. 2169

       H.D. 1

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2008

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Affordable Housing, to which was referred H.B. No. 2169, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to distinguish and eliminate confusion between the Board of Medical Examiners and the county medical examiners by changing the Board's name to the "Hawaii Medical Board."

     Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the Board of Medical Examiners.

     Out of seventy state boards of medicine or osteopathic medicine, only a minority of the states, including Hawaii, use the name "Board of Medical Examiners".  Your Committee finds that changing the Board's name to the "Hawaii Medical Board" will bring the Board's name in line with similar state boards of medicine across the nation.  Your Committee further finds that changing the Board's name will eliminate any confusion between the county medical examiner that performs death investigations and the Board that oversees licensure and regulations of physicians in Hawaii.

     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 H.B. No. 2169, H.D. 1, and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

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

____________________________

RUSSELL S. KOKUBUN, Chair