CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REP. NO. 17-18

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2018

RE: S.B. No. 2258

S.D. 1

H.D. 2

C.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2018

State of Hawaii

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2018

State of Hawaii

Sirs:

Your Committee on Conference on the disagreeing vote of the Senate to the amendments proposed by the House of Representatives in S.B. No. 2258, S.D. 1, H.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO LICENSING,"

having met, and after full and free discussion, has agreed to recommend and does recommend to the respective Houses the final passage of this bill in an amended form.

The purpose of this measure is to:

(1) Clarify that the licensing requirements for hearing aid dealers and fitters shall not apply to audiologists licensed pursuant to chapter 468E, Hawaii Revised Statutes; and

(2) Clarify that to be eligible for licensure as an audiologist, a person shall not be required to also be licensed as a hearing aid dealer and fitter under chapter 451A, Hawaii Revised Statutes.

Your Committee on Conference finds that under existing law, audiologists must be licensed as an audiologist under chapter 468E, Hawaii Revised Statutes, and as a hearing aid dealer and fitter under chapter 451A, Hawaii Revised Statutes. However, this dual licensure requirement is redundant and burdensome for audiologists, as licensed audiologists must complete a rigorous academic study and clinical training that far exceeds the education and training requirements for hearing aid dealers and fitters and pass a licensure examination that tests items that are equivalent to or higher than the test items on the hearing aid dealers and fitters licensure examination.

Your Committee on Conference further finds that because audiologist licensing requirements surpass the requirements for licensure as a hearing aid dealer and fitter, not requiring audiologists to hold a second license as a hearing aid dealer and fitter will not result in consumer harm. This measure therefore clarifies that licensed audiologists are not required to also be licensed as a hearing aid dealer and fitter to practice in the State.

Your Committee on Conference has amended this measure by changing its effective date to upon approval.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the managers of your Committee on Conference that is attached to this report, your Committee on Conference is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2258, S.D. 1, H.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Final Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2258, S.D. 1, H.D. 2, C.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the managers:

ON THE PART OF THE HOUSE

ON THE PART OF THE SENATE

____________________________ JOHN M. MIZUNO Co-Chair	____________________________ ROSALYN H. BAKER Chair
____________________________ TAKASHI OHNO Co-Chair
____________________________ ROY M. TAKUMI Co-Chair