CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REP. NO. 23-04

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2004

RE: S.B. No. 2586

S.D. 2

H.D. 2

C.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2004

State of Hawaii

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2004

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Conference on the disagreeing vote of the Senate to the amendments proposed by the House of Representatives in S.B. No. 2586, S.D. 2, H.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PROFESSIONAL AND VOCATIONAL LICENSING,"

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 allow the Board of Dental Examiners to issue a community service license for an eligible dentist or dental hygienist for the purpose of servicing low-income and uninsured communities within the State.

Your Committee on Conference finds that access to dental care for low-income or uninsured individuals within the State is severely limited. Currently, there are a small handful of non-profit federally qualified health centers in Hawaii which offer dental clinic services. Your Committee on Conference further finds that increasing the pool of qualified dentists and dental hygienists increases access to basic dental services by the poor and uninsured.

Your Committee on Conference has amended this measure by:

(1) Deleting the requirement that renewal requests be submitted sixty days prior to expiration;

(2) Deleting the provision for a maximum of five consecutive years for renewal of a license;

(3) Providing that no person after the effective date of the new law who has failed to pass the dental license examination may be issued a community service dental license;

(4) Repealing the Act on July 1, 2009, so the Legislature will have an opportunity to review the effectiveness of the community service license; and

(5) Clarifying the language in the purpose section.

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 S.B. No. 2586, S.D. 2, H.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Final Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2586, S.D. 2, H.D. 2, C.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the managers:

ON THE PART OF THE HOUSE

ON THE PART OF THE SENATE

____________________________

DENNIS A. ARAKAKI, Co-Chair

____________________________

ROSALYN BAKER, Co-Chair

____________________________

KENNETH T. HIRAKI, Co-Chair

____________________________

RON MENOR, Co-Chair