THE SENATE	S.B. NO.	307
THIRTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2019		S.D. 1
STATE OF HAWAII		H.D. 1

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

 

RELATING TO SPEECH PATHOLOGY.

 

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

 

     SECTION 1.  The legislature finds that Hawaii is experiencing a shortage of speech pathologists to serve in medical settings.  A likely contributor to this shortage is the State's lack of a mechanism to allow for provisional licensure of those individuals who are working towards a speech pathologist license in a clinical fellowship while under the supervision of a licensed speech pathologist.  Without a provisional license, these individuals who are pursuing a career in speech pathology are unable to bill medicare and some other insurance providers for the patient services provided under the direct supervision of a speech pathologist.  As such, there are fewer opportunities for speech pathologist fellows to obtain the training necessary to complete the statutory licensure requirements, leading these individuals to go to other states for their training.

     The purpose of this Act is to allow qualified individuals who are engaging in the clinical or academic practice of speech pathology under the supervision of a licensed speech pathologist to obtain a provisional speech pathology license.

     SECTION 2.  Chapter 468E, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new section to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:

     "§468E-    Provisional license.  (a)  The board shall grant, upon application and payment of proper fees, provisional licensure to an individual who:

     (1)  Possesses at a minimum a master's degree in the area of speech pathology from an educational institution recognized by the board; and

     (2)  Engages in clinical or academic practice under the supervision of a licensed speech pathologist during the period of time needed to fulfill the necessary requirements for licensure as a speech pathologist pursuant to section 468E-5; provided that the licensed speech pathologist possesses an American Speech-Language-Hearing Association certificate of clinical competence and is in good standing with the board.

     (b)  Each provisional license shall include the name and title of the licensed speech pathologist described in paragraph (a)(2).  A provisional licensee may only practice speech pathology under the supervision of the licensed speech pathologist named on the provisional license.

     (c)  A provisional license issued pursuant to this section shall be valid for one year from the date of issuance and may be renewed for an additional one year period if needed to fulfill the requirements for licensure as a speech pathologist pursuant to section 468E-5."

     SECTION 3.  New statutory material is underscored.

     SECTION 4.  This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2050.

 

Report Title:

Speech Pathology; Speech Pathologists; Licensure; Provisional License

 

Description:

Establishes a provisional license for speech pathologists.  (SB307 HD1)

 

 

 

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