STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1430

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.C.R. No. 4

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2023

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 4 entitled:

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE AUDITOR TO CONDUCT A SUNRISE REVIEW OF THE REGULATION AND LICENSURE OF ASSOCIATE PHYSICIANS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to request the Auditor to conduct a sunrise review of the licensure of associate physicians.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaii Medical Board and Hawaii Medical Service Association. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Office of the Auditor.

Your Committee finds that persons who have graduated from an accredited medical school but who have not been accepted to a medical residency program are not eligible to be licensed to practice medicine in the State. Senate Bill No. 61, introduced during the 2023 Regular Session, proposes the authorization of associate physicians to practice medicine in the State and the regulation and licensure of associate physicians. Section 26H-6, Hawaii Revised Statutes, requires new measures subjecting unregulated professions and vocations to licensing or other regulatory controls to be referred, via concurrent resolution, to the Auditor for analysis. Accordingly, this measure requests the Auditor to analyze the proposed licensure of associate physicians pursuant to section 26H-6, Hawaii Revised Statutes.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Specifying Senate Bill No. 61 (2023) as the measure requested to be analyzed by the Auditor; and

(2) 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 Commerce and Consumer Protection that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 4, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means, in the form attached hereto as S.C.R. No. 4, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection,

________________________________

JARRETT KEOHOKALOLE, Chair