STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1024-08

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2008

RE:   H.B. No. 2388

      H.D. 1

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2008

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Finance, to which was referred H.B. No. 2388 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO WORKERS' COMPENSATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to protect the health and welfare of injured workers by ensuring the injured employees receive uninterrupted medical care, even when disputes arise over whether treatment should be continued.

     The Hawaii Government Employees Association, ILWU Local 142, and Hawaii Chapter-American Physical Therapy Association supported  this bill.  The Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, Department of Human Resources Development, Building Industry Association of Hawaii, General Contractors Association of Hawaii, Property Casualty Insurers of America, National Federation of Independent Businesses in Hawaii, Hawaii Insurers Council, American Insurance Association, Ralph S. Inouye Co. Ltd., NetEnterprise Inc., Associated Builders and Contractors of Hawaii, and Society for Human Resource Management opposed this measure.

     Your Committee has amended this bill by:

(1)  Keeping the current statutory language of the "Effective date of January 1, 1997, and for each succeeding calendar year thereafter" to indicate the start date to note when fees were based on 110 percent of the Medicare fees and to indicate that the Medical Fee Schedule in effect as of January 1 of a particular year will be used throughout that year; and

(2)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for clarity, consistency, and style.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Finance that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2388, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2388, H.D. 1.

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

____________________________

MARCUS R. OSHIRO, Chair