STAND. COM. REP. NO. 377

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    S.B. No. 391

 

 

 

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2015

State of Hawaii

 

Madam:

 

     Your Committees on Health and Commerce and Consumer Protection, to which was referred S.B. No. 391 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PSYCHOLOGISTS,"

 

beg leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to amend the continuing education requirement for psychologists to include at least three credit hours of ethics training and at least two credit hours of domestic violence training.

 

     Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaii State Coalition Against Domestic Violence and two individuals.  Your Committees received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Hawaii Psychological Association and one individual.  Your Committees received comments on this measure from the Board of Psychology.

 

     Your Committees find that there is a core of basic theory, principles, and accumulated behavior that all psychologists should possess, and that psychologists have an ethical obligation to undertake ongoing efforts to develop and maintain their competence.  The American Psychological Association, recognized by Hawaii for providing licensure guidelines, has adopted policies to ensure that psychologists keep pace with emerging issues and increase competencies.  Continuing education ensures that there are ongoing processes to improve training, enhance treatment, and maintain awareness of emerging issues and technologies, and your Committees find that continuing education in ethics and domestic violence, in particular, should be mandatory given the issues that arise in the practice of psychology.

 

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Health and Commerce and Consumer Protection that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 391 and recommend that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

 

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

 

____________________________

ROSALYN H. BAKER, Chair

 

____________________________

JOSH GREEN, Chair