CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REP. NO. 152-24

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2024

RE: H.B. No. 1830

H.D. 2

S.D. 1

C.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2024

State of Hawaii

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2024

State of Hawaii

Sirs:

Your Committee on Conference on the disagreeing vote of the House of Representatives to the amendments proposed by the Senate in H.B. No. 1830, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO MENTAL HEALTH,"

having met, and after full and free discussion, has agreed to recommend and does recommend to the respective Houses the final passage of this bill in an amended form.

The purpose of this measure is to:

(1) Beginning July 1, 2026, establish provisional or associate-level licensure requirements and insurance reimbursement allowances for marriage and family therapists, mental health counselors, and psychologists;

(2) Authorize associate psychologists who possess a provisional license to sit for the licensing examination before completing certain supervised experience requirements;

(3) Authorize insurance reimbursements for services provided after July 1, 2026, by a supervised social work intern, in certain circumstances; and

(4) Appropriate funds from the Compliance Resolution Fund.

Your Committee on Conference has amended this measure by:

(1) Authorizing the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs to use fees collected for provisional or associate-level licenses to defray the costs incurred by the Department for the operations of the marriage and family therapists and mental health counselors licensing programs and the regulation of psychologists by the Board of Psychology;

(2) Inserting appropriation amounts out of the Compliance Resolution Fund of $73,406 for the establishment of one full-time equivalent Office Assistant V position and $75,000 for updates to the Professional and Vocational Licensing Division's internal databases;

(3) Changing the effective date to July 1, 2024; and

(4) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the managers of your Committee on Conference that is attached to this report, your Committee on Conference is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1830, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Final Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1830, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, C.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the managers:

ON THE PART OF THE SENATE

ON THE PART OF THE HOUSE

____________________________ JARRETT KEOHOKALOLE Co-Chair	____________________________ JENNA TAKENOUCHI Co-Chair
____________________________ JOY A. SAN BUENAVENTURA Co-Chair	____________________________ JACKSON D. SAYAMA Co-Chair
____________________________ HENRY J.C. AQUINO Co-Chair	____________________________ CORY CHUN Co-Chair