STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1561

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2013

RE:   S.B. No. 548

      S.D. 1

      H.D. 2

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2013

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce, to which was referred S.B. No. 548, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO TELEMEDICINE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to exempt, from the licensing requirement to practice medicine in the State, any commissioned medical officer of the United States Department of Defense who is credentialed by Tripler Army Medical Center while providing direct telemedicine support or services to beneficiaries at a Hawaii National Guard armory on a neighbor island.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the state Department of Defense; the Department of Hawaii, Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States; the Maui County Veterans Council; Papa Ola Lokahi; the National Association for Uniformed Services, Hawaii Chapter; and two individuals.  Comments were received from the Hawaii Medical Board and the Hawaii Medical Association.

     Your Committee finds that this measure is necessary to ensure that service members who seek medical services at Hawaii National Guard armories on the neighbor islands will be able to receive telemedicine support by qualified medical personnel.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by changing the effective date to July 1, 2112, in order to facilitate continued discussion.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 548, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 548, S.D. 1, H.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce,

____________________________

ANGUS L.K. McKELVEY, Chair