Bill Text: HI SB506 | 2013 | Regular Session | Amended

---

Bill Title: Professional and Vocational Licensing; Military Education, Training, or Service; Licensure

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 8-0)

Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2013-04-25 - Conference committee meeting to reconvene on 04-25-13 5:00PM in conference room 016. [SB506 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2013-SB506-Amended.html

---

 

 

STAND. COM. REP. NO.  953

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2013

 

RE:   S.B. No. 506

      S.D. 2

      H.D. 1

 

 

 

 

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2013

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Veterans, Military, & International Affairs, & Culture and the Arts, to which was referred S.B. No. 506, S.D. 2, entitled:

 

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

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this measure is to assist Hawaii's service men and women when determining qualifications for an occupational license.  Specifically, this bill requires professional and vocational licensing authorities that consider relevant education, training, or service of a military veteran applicant for licensure in Hawaii to accept the results of the passage of a national examination or regional examination accepted by statute or rule in the specific licensing area or the equivalent, as determined by the licensing authority, provided that the applicant:

 

     (1)  Meets or exceeds the requirements for licensure in the specific licensing area; and

 

     (2)  Provides a certificate or evidence satisfactory to the licensing authority of having passed a national or regional examination or the equivalent.  

     The Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, National Association for Uniformed Services Hawaii Chapter (HI-1), The Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii, and Department of Hawaii-Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States testified in support of this measure.  The Hawaii Dental Association provided comments.

 

     Your Committee has amended this bill by:

 

     (1)  Requiring that licensure examinations completed by a service member be considered toward the qualifications required to receive a license;

 

     (2)  Stipulating that consideration given to education, training, licensure examinations, or military service of a service member applying for licensure toward the qualifications required to receive a license only be applicable to a service member applying for licensure who has been given an honorable discharge or general (under honorable conditions) discharge from active duty within two years of applying for licensure;

 

     (3)  Specifying that the requirement that the professional and vocational licensing authorities consider an applicant's military education, training, licensure examinations, or service toward the qualifications required to receive a license does not apply to the licensure of medical doctors, dentists, or certified public accountants;

 

     (4)  Adding provisions making permanent the statutory provisions establishing the acceptance of military education, training, licensure examinations, or service as part of the evaluation process toward the qualification requirements to receive a license;

 

     (5)  Adding provisions that require a licensing authority to provide a license to a service member pursuant to applicable statutes or requirements of the licensing authority of this State regarding licensure by endorsement or licensure by reciprocity if the service member holds a current license in another state, district, or territory of the United States with licensure requirements that the licensing authority determines are equivalent to or exceed those established by the licensing authority and the service member meets certain requirements;

 

     (6)  Stipulating that the requirement that a licensing authority accept the results of the passage of a national examination or regional examination accepted by statute or rule in the specific licensing area or the equivalent and the requirement that a certificate or other evidence satisfactory to the licensing authority of having passed a national or regional examination or the equivalent to be provided to the licensing authority only applies to service members seeking a license through endorsement or reciprocity;

 

     (7)  Adding provisions that allow a service member applying for licensure by endorsement or licensure by reciprocity to demonstrate competency in a specific profession or vocation as determined by the licensing authority in lieu of a requirement that the applicant has worked or practiced in that profession or vocation for a specified period of time prior to the application for licensure by endorsement or licensure by reciprocity;

 

     (8)  Adding provisions requiring the licensing authority to expedite consideration of the application and issuance of a license by endorsement, license by reciprocity, or temporary license to a service member meeting the specified requirements;

 

     (9)  Changing its effective date to July 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion; and

 

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

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Veterans, Military, & International Affairs, & Culture and the Arts that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 506, S.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 506, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Veterans, Military, & International Affairs, & Culture and the Arts,

 

 

		____________________________ K. MARK TAKAI, Chair