STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1273-22

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2022

RE: S.B. No. 2017

S.D. 1

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Health, Human Services, & Homelessness, to which was referred S.B. No. 2017, S.D. 1, entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to repeal existing law that limits licensure as an Emergency Medical Technician 1 to individuals whose practice is performed in a county with a population of five hundred thousand or greater.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaii Medical Board, State Fire Council, Maui Fire Department, and Honolulu Fire Department.

Your Committee finds that Act 119, Session Laws of Hawaii 2021, (Act 119) created an additional category for Emergency Medical Technician 1, which is an individual who is certified at a higher practice level than emergency medical responders, but does not provide ambulance services. The intent of Act 119 was to align the State with national trends and mitigate the unintended consequences associated with the deregulation of the State's emergency medical services system. However, Act 119 limited the licensure of Emergency Medical Technician 1 to counties with a population greater than five hundred thousand, which excluded emergency medical responders who do not provide ambulance services, such as firefighters and lifeguards, in the counties of Maui and Kauai. Your Committee finds that it is in the interest of public health to expand the licensure of Emergency Medical Technician 1 to all counties in the State.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Changing the effective date to July 1, 2060, to encourage further discussion; and

(2) Making a technical, nonsubstantive amendment for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health, Human Services, & Homelessness that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2017, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2017, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Health, Human Services, & Homelessness,

____________________________

RYAN I. YAMANE, Chair