STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1062

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 391

S.D. 2

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2019

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 391, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO BEHAVIOR ANALYSIS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to appropriate moneys to the Department of Education to provide public school students with behavior analysis services.

Your Committee received written comments in support of this measure from the Democratic Party of Hawaii Education Caucus, Hawaii Association for Behavior Analysis, Hawaii Psychological Association, Hawaii State Teachers Association, Oahu County Committee on Legislative Priorities of the Democratic Party of Hawaii, and three individuals.

Your Committee received written comments on this measure from the Department of Education.

Your Committee finds that providing behavior analysis services to public school students will benefit these students during an important developmental stage. However, your Committee notes that licensed behavior analysts, of which there is a shortage in the State, are not the only professionals capable of providing behavior analysis services.

Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Expanding the types of behavior analysis service providers to include numerous other professionals licensed to provide behavior analysis services or permitted to implement behavior analysis programs;

(2) Requiring the Department of Education to seek any necessary approvals from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to amend the state Medicaid plan to include applied behavior analysis services for eligible students who have been diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder;

(3) Changing the effective date to July 1, 2050, to facilitate further discussion on the measure; and

(4) Making technical nonsubstantive changes for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

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 S.B. No. 391, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 391, S.D. 2.

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

________________________________

DONOVAN M. DELA CRUZ, Chair