STAND. COM. REP. NO.  56

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2013

RE:   H.B. No. 843

      H.D. 1

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2013

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Health, to which was referred H.B. No. 843 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PHYSICAL THERAPY,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to regulate physical therapist assistants by, among other things:

(1)  Requiring physical therapist assistants to be licensed to work in the State;

(2)  Limiting the use of the titles "physical therapist assistant" or "PTA", or any other term or insignia to imply that a person is a physical therapist assistant unless the person is licensed as one;

(3)  Adding a physical therapist assistant as a member on the Board of Physical Therapy; and

(4)  Appropriating funds out of the Compliance Resolution Fund for fiscal year 2014-2015 to implement the licensure of physical therapist assistants.

The Board of Physical Therapy, Hawaii Chapter of the American Physical Therapy Association, The Queen's Health Systems, and numerous individuals testified in support of this measure.  The Occupational Therapy Association of Hawaii testified in support of this measure with a proposed amendment.  An individual opposed this measure.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for clarity, consistency, and style.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 843, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 843, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Health,

____________________________

DELLA AU BELATTI, Chair