STAND. COM. REP. NO. 771

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 725

       S.D. 2

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2015

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Judiciary and Labor, to which was referred S.B. No. 725, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO DENTISTRY,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to authorize the Board of Dental Examiners to summarily suspend a license, establish procedures for the summary suspension, and establish a penalty for continuing to practice dentistry, or attempting to do so, while the summary suspension of a license is in effect.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs.  Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Board of Dental Examiners.

     Your Committee finds that the dental licensing laws provide the public with protection from the unlicensed practice of dentistry and other harmful activities.  Allowing the Board of Dental Examiners to summarily suspend licenses to prevent actions that threaten patient health or safety, will ultimately better protect the public.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Removing the language that would have made a violation a class C felony; and

     (2)  Inserting an effective date of January 7, 2059, to encourage further discussion.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary and Labor that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 725, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 725, S.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Judiciary and Labor,

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GILBERT S.C. KEITH-AGARAN, Chair