STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2591

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 3027

       S.D. 2

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 S.B. No. 3027, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO OSTEOPATHY,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to provide uniformity in the practice and regulation of osteopathic physicians and doctors of medicine by including osteopathic physicians under chapter 453, Hawaii Revised Statutes, relating to the regulation of doctors of medicine, and repealing chapter 460, Hawaii Revised Statutes, relating to the regulation of osteopathic physicians.

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

     Osteopathic and medical doctors are physicians of equivalent education and training, and should be similarly regulated, accordingly.  Your Committee finds that amending chapter 453, Hawaii Revised Statutes, to include osteopathic physicians will enable the Board of Medical Examiners to regulate both professions more uniformly and efficiently.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Adding a definition for "osteopathic medicine" by adopting an amended version of the definition of that term found in section 460-1.3, Hawaii Revised Statutes, to provide further clarity; and

     (2)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and style.

     Your Committee believes that this measure, as amended, fulfills the intent of this measure, which is to provide uniformity in the practice and regulation of osteopathic physicians and doctors of medicine.

     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. 3027, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 3027, S.D. 2.

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

____________________________

RUSSELL S. KOKUBUN, Chair