STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3042

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 3091

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2020

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health, to which was referred S.B. No. 3091 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to enable the Hawaii Medical Board to certify emergency medical personnel other than emergency ambulance service personnel.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the State Fire Council, Honolulu Emergency Services Department of the City and County of Honolulu, Hawai‘i Fire Department, Kaua‘i Fire Department, and six individuals. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Health and Hawaii Medical Board.

Your Committee finds that emergency medical personnel are an integral component of Hawaii's emergency medical system. However, existing state laws relating to the certification of emergency medical personnel address only emergency ambulance service personnel and do not address all emergency medical personnel. This measure will authorize the Hawaii Medical Board to certify other emergency medical personnel, such as firefighters and ocean safety lifeguards, and, thus, increase the supply of emergency medical responders in the State.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Clarifying that emergency service personnel, rather than solely emergency ambulance service personnel, are subject to certification by the Hawaii Medical Board for the practice of emergency medical services;

(2) Deleting language that would have allowed an individual with proof of current certification from the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians to be deemed qualified to perform emergency medical services as an emergency medical technician in the State;

(3) Inserting an effective date of July 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion; and

(4) 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. 3091, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 3091, S.D. 1.

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

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ROSALYN H. BAKER, Chair