STAND. COM. REP. NO. 91-20

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2020

RE: H.B. No. 39

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2020

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Health and Intrastate Commerce, to which was referred H.B. No. 39 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to address the lack of medical service providers in the State by establishing a three-year pilot program that creates a new category of professional licensure for assistant physicians.

Your Committees received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Hawaii Association for Justice. Your Committees received comments on this measure from the Hawaii Medical Board and Office of the Mayor of the County of Hawaii.

Your Committees note the comments received from the Office of the Mayor of the County of Hawaii, which outlined the need to solve the physician shortage by potentially increasing the number of competent health care professionals in the State. Considering proposals that would encourage existing providers in the State to stay in practice longer and enticing new providers to join the State's health care field is a positive step in this direction.

Your Committees have amended this measure by:

(1) Removing the provisions that established a three-year pilot program to create a new category of professional licensure for assistant physicians;

(2) Requiring the Department of Health to establish and convene a working group to study whether establishing a new category of professional licensure for assistant physicians would help address the State's physician shortage;

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

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

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Health and Intrastate Commerce that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 39, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 39, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Health and Intrastate Commerce,

____________________________ TAKASHI OHNO, Chair

____________________________ JOHN M. MIZUNO, Chair