STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2529

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2258

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2018

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health, to which was referred S.B. No. 2258 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO LICENSING,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to clarify that the licensing requirements for hearing aid dealers and fitters shall not apply to audiologists licensed pursuant to chapter 468E, Hawaii Revised Statutes.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Board of Speech Pathology and Audiology, Island Audiology, and one individual. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Professional and Vocational Licensing Division of the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs.

Your Committee 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, pursuant to chapter 451A, Hawaii Revised Statutes. However, your Committee notes that audiologist licensees must complete a rigorous academic study and clinical training that far exceeds the education and training requirements for hearing aid dealers and fitters. Audiologists are also required to 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 additionally finds that requiring audiologists to hold dual licensure as an audiologist and a hearing aid dealer and fitter is redundant and burdensome. Furthermore, 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.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Clarifying within the audiologists' practice act 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; and

(2) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2258, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2258, S.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

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

________________________________

ROSALYN H. BAKER, Chair