STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1511

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2021

 

RE:   S.B. No. 1340

      S.D. 2

      H.D. 2

 

 

 

 

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2021

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce, to which was referred S.B. No. 1340, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this measure is to:

 

     (1)  Align Hawaii with national trends and mitigate the unintended consequences associated with the deregulation of Hawaii's emergency medical services system by:

 

          (A)  Enabling the Hawaii Medical Board to issue licenses for emergency medical responders and other emergency ambulance personnel, which shall be based on certain requirements; and

 

          (B)  Including emergency medical responders in the State's pre-hospital response; and

 

     (2)  Require the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs to examine a potential additional licensure category for emergency medical technicians who have received certain certification from the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians but who do not provide emergency ambulance services.

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Health, State Fire Council, Maui Fire Department, and five individuals.  Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Hawaii Medical Board and American Medical Response Hawaii.

 

Your Committee finds that existing law only provides for the certification of emergency ambulance personnel and does not provide for licensure or certification of emergency medical responders.  Your Committee further finds that emergency medical responders are key providers within the State's emergency medical services system who provide at-the-scene, life-saving care with minimal equipment to critical care patients and have the knowledge and skills necessary to provide immediate interventions while awaiting arrival of additional emergency medical services.  This measure enables the licensure of additional emergency personnel who meet specific national educational requirements.

 

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Appropriating funds from the Compliance Resolution Fund for the Hawaii Medical Board to hire an unspecified number of full-time equivalent positions to administer the licensing program; and

 

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

 

     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 S.B. No. 1340, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to your Committee on Finance in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1340, S.D. 2, H.D. 2.

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

____________________________

AARON LING JOHANSON, Chair