STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2286

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2017

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Public Safety, Intergovernmental, and Military Affairs and Health, to which was referred S.B. No. 2017 entitled:

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

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to repeal section 453-34(d), Hawaii Revised Statutes, which 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 Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the State Fire Council, Hawai‘i Fire Department, Honolulu Fire Department, and Maui Fire Department. Your Committees received comments on this measure from the Hawaii Medical Board.

Your Committees find 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 technicians, but does not provide ambulance services. Act 119 required the Hawaii Medical Board to establish a pilot program to issue licenses to individuals qualified in emergency medical services upon application therefor; provided the applicant meets various levels of education and training based on national standards and qualifications. The purpose 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 by including emergency medical technicians who do not work on an ambulance, but provide life-saving care. However, Act 119 was limited to those counties having a population of greater than five hundred thousand, thereby excluding emergency medical technicians, such as firefighters and lifeguards, for the counties of Maui and Kauai. Individuals certified by the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians across the State have clearly demonstrated their value by providing an additional level of care and services, particularly for Hawaii's neighbor island communities where resources in the pre-hospital environment are not as readily available as in Honolulu and those resources are geographically dispersed in remote areas. This measure will allow the State to further protect the health and safety of individuals in Hawaii's neighbor island communities by repealing section 453‑34(d), Hawaii Revised Statutes, which 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 Committees have heard the testimony of the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations suggesting revisions to this measure to improve clarity and alignment with the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians. Your Committees find that this issue raises concerns that merit further consideration and requests that your Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection further examine those issues and concerns raised by the testifiers on this measure.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Public Safety, Intergovernmental, and Military Affairs and Health that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2017 and recommend that it pass Second Reading and be referred to your Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Public Safety, Intergovernmental, and Military Affairs and Health,

________________________________ JARRETT KEOHOKALOLE, Chair

________________________________ CLARENCE K. NISHIHARA, Chair