STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2638

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2281

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Health, to which was referred S.B. No. 2281 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PSYCHOLOGY,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Establish licensure requirements for school psychologists to be administered by the Board of Psychology;

(2) Require all school psychologists to be licensed by July 1, 2025; and

(3) Increase the composition of the Board of Psychology to include two school psychologists.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaii State Teachers Association, Hawai‘i Association of School Psychologists, Hawai‘i Psychological Association, Hui for Excellence in Education, and twenty individuals. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Hawaii Board of Psychology, and three individuals. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Education.

Your Committee finds that Hawaii is the only state that does not regulate school psychologists. Not having a licensing requirement has allowed individuals who do not have graduate training in school psychology and who do not meet the nationally accepted certification standard to practice psychology in Hawaii's schools. Furthermore, services performed by certified or licensed school psychologists are reimbursable by Medicaid; thus, because school psychologists are not required to be licensed, the Department of Education cannot bill Medicaid for their services. Your Committee finds that licensing school psychologists would increase the standards of the profession and provide the Department of Education a means to recoup funds under Medicaid. Therefore, this measure establishes licensure requirements for school psychologists to ensure qualified persons serve Hawaii's students in public schools in a fiscally sustainable manner.

Your Committee has amended this measure by inserting an effective date of January 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2281, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2281, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Health,

________________________________

JARRETT KEOHOKALOLE, Chair