STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3533

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    H.B. No. 1072

       H.D. 1

       S.D. 2

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2016

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred H.B. No. 1072, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to address the shortage of prescribing mental health care providers in the State.

     More specifically, this measure requires the Hawaii board of psychology to:

     (1)  Prescribe application forms and fees for application for and renewal of prescriptive authority privilege;

     (2)  Develop and implement procedures to review the educational and training credentials of a psychologist applying for or renewing prescriptive authority privilege;

     (3)  Determine the exclusionary formulary for prescribing psychologists; and

     (4)  Accept applications for prescriptive authority privilege from qualified applicants beginning on July 1, 2018.

     Your Committee received written comments in support of this measure from the Department of Health; Hawaii Medical Service Association; Hawaii Association of Professional Nurses; Protecting HI's Ohana, Children, Under Served, Elderly, and Disabled; Hawaii State Center for Nursing; and sixty-three individuals.

     Your Committee received written comments in opposition to this measure from the Hawaii Medical Association, American Psychiatric Association, Hawaii Psychiatric Medical Association, Psychologists Opposed to Prescription Privileges for Psychologists, and eighteen individuals.

     Your Committee received written comments on this measure from the Hawaii Board of Psychology and one individual.

     Your Committee finds that authorizing psychologists who have advanced training in psychopharmacology to prescribe psychotropic medication, in collaboration with medical doctors, will improve access to effective mental health care, particularly in rural and other medically underserved communities.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by changing the effective date to July 1, 2050, to facilitate further discussion on the measure.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1072, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1072, H.D. 1, S.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

________________________________

JILL N. TOKUDA, Chair