STAND. COM. REP. NO.  545

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2015

RE:   H.B. No. 1072

      H.D. 1

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2015

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committees on Health and Consumer Protection & Commerce, to which was referred H.B. No. 1072 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PRESCRIPTIVE AUTHORITY FOR CERTAIN PSYCHOLOGISTS,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to address the need for mental health services in rural and underserved areas of the State by authorizing the Board of Psychology to issue certificates of prescriptive authority to medical psychologists who meet certain education, training, and registration requirements.

The Hawaii Association of Professional Nurses; Hope Services Hawaii; Hawaii Psychological Association; Big Island Substance Abuse Council; Mental Health America of Hawaii; Hawaii Primary Care Association; National Association of Social Workers Hawaii Chapter; and numerous concerned individuals supported this measure.  The Hawaii Board of Psychology; Queen's Health Systems; American Psychiatric Association; Hawaii Medical Association; and numerous concerned individuals opposed this measure.  Several concerned individuals commented on this measure.  

     Your Committees have amended this measure by:

     (1)  Incorporating qualification provisions that are consistent with the 2014 Illinois statute authorizing prescriptive authority for psychologists, which include the following:

          (A)  Minimum undergraduate biomedical coursework prior to submitting an application for a certificate of prescriptive authority;

          (B)  Completion of a full-time practicum of fourteen months and 36 credit hours of supervised clinical training with a research project; and

          (C)  A clinical rotation phase in accordance with those of the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant;

     (2)  Changing the effective date to July 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion; and

     (3)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for clarity, consistency, and style.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Health and Consumer Protection & Commerce that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1072, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1072, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Health and Consumer Protection & Commerce,

____________________________ ANGUS L.K. McKELVEY, Chair

____________________________ DELLA AU BELATTI, Chair