STAND. COM. REP. NO.  926-16

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2016

 

RE:   H.B. No. 2169

      H.D. 2

 

 

 

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2016

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce, to which was referred H.B. No. 2169, H.D. 1, entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO SOCIAL WORKERS,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this measure is to clarify the supervision requirements for licensure of clinical social workers, including permitting the supervision requirements to be met through face-to-face supervision or via a Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act-compliant videoconferencing service.

 

     The National Association of Social Workers, Hawaii Chapter; Effective Change, LLC; and numerous individuals testified in support of this measure.  The Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs and an individual provided comments.

 

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Deleting licensing requirements clarifying the supervision requirements for licensure of clinical social workers, including provisions permitting the supervision requirements to be met through face-to-face supervision or via a Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act-compliant videoconferencing service;

 

     (2)  Authorizing the adoption of rules by the Director of Commerce and Consumer Affairs to clarify the supervision requirements for licensure of clinical social workers, including the criteria for supervision by videoconferencing or other electronic means; and

 

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

 

     Your Committee notes that while there was testimony supporting videoconferencing as a means to meet supervision requirements, there were concerns that the change to allow supervision by videoconferencing may affect the mobility of Hawaii licensed clinical social workers and may preclude them from getting licenses in other jurisdictions.  However, there may be jurisdictions that allow videoconferencing supervision, therefore, your Committee amended this measure to give the Director of Commerce and Consumer Affairs rulemaking authority to set forth, clarify, and describe acceptable requirements that outline parameters, limitations, or prohibitions for supervision requirements for licensure of clinical social workers.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2169, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2169, H.D. 2.

 

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

 

 

 

 

____________________________

ANGUS L.K. McKELVEY, Chair