STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1822

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: H.B. No. 884

H.D. 1

S.D. 2

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2023

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred H.B. No. 884, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO TRAVELING TEAM PHYSICIANS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to exempt from state licensure requirements out-of-state traveling team physicians who accompany a sports team to Hawai‘i, under certain conditions.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the University of Hawai‘i System and Hawaii Medical Board. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from one individual. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Regulated Industries Complaints Office of the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs.

Your Committee finds that Hawai‘i is one of only a few states that do not already have provisions allowing exemptions for physicians traveling in association with sport teams events in the State. The lack of a provision for visiting physicians may result in teams being hesitant to travel to Hawai‘i to compete. This measure will allow teams from other states that compete in Hawai‘i to have the support of their medical staff, if necessary.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Specifying that a physician who has an agreement with a sports team to provide care and travel with the team for a sporting event in the State shall meet certain requirements in order to be exempt from state licensure requirements;

(2) Inserting the term "bona fide" to the terms "national sports governing body" and "national sports training center";

(3) Clarifying that an exemption for a physician who has an agreement with a sports team to provide care and travel with the team for a sporting event in the State:

(A) Shall be valid while the physician is traveling with the sports team, but no longer than ten days per individual sporting event; and

(B) That upon application to the Hawaii Medical Board and for good cause shown, the Hawaii Medical Board may extend the time period up to twenty days per sporting event, for a total of thirty days; provided that no physician shall be granted extensions that total more than thirty days in a calendar year;

(4) Removing language that would have required the Hawaii Medical Board to adopt rules to effectuate this measure; and

(5) 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 Judiciary that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 884, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 884, H.D. 1, S.D. 2.

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

________________________________

KARL RHOADS, Chair