STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1773

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: H.B. No. 252

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2019

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health, to which was referred H.B. No. 252 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO SPEECH PATHOLOGY,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to establish a provisional license for speech pathologists.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Board of Speech Pathology and Audiology, Healthcare Association of Hawaii, Hawai‘i Speech-Language-Hearing Association, and fifteen individuals.

Your Committee finds that Hawaii is experiencing a shortage of speech-language pathologists and is one of the few states that do not provide a provisional license to clinical fellows who are transitioning from speech-language pathology students to providers. Provisional licenses are important because speech-language pathologists must complete a clinical fellowship for one year to obtain their Certificate of Clinical Competence. Without a provisional license, speech-language pathology fellows cannot bill Medicare and some other insurance providers for patient services provided under direct supervision of a licensed speech-language pathologist. This results in fewer Hawaii-based opportunities for fellows, who then often go to the mainland for their training. This measure will provide more opportunities in Hawaii for speech-language pathology students to get training and help increase access to needed services.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Clarifying that a licensed speech pathologist must be in good standing with the Board of Speech Pathology and Audiology as a requirement to supervise a provisional licensee; 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 H.B. No. 252, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 252, 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