03/31/2017 01:30 PM House FINANCE

HOUSE BILL NO. 49                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
     "An Act extending the termination date of the Board of                                                                     
     Certified Direct-Entry Midwives; and providing for an                                                                      
     effective date."                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
2:21:42 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE   SAM  KITO   III,   SPONSOR,  reminded   the                                                                    
committee  that the  bill extended  the  Board of  Certified                                                                    
Direct-Entry Midwives through 2021.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
2:22:42 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Vice-Chair Gara  asked whether  the board  was "comfortable"                                                                    
with  its   fees.  Representative  Kito  responded   in  the                                                                    
affirmative.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Foster related that  there was amendment. Amendment                                                                    
1 was offered by  Representative Kawasaki and Representative                                                                    
Wilson:                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
     Page I, line 6:                                                                                                            
     Delete "2021"                                                                                                              
     Insert "2023"                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
Representative Wilson MOVED to ADOPT Amendment 1.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Seaton OBJECTED for discussion.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
Representative Wilson spoke to  the amendment. She explained                                                                    
that the  amendment moved the  extension to six  years; from                                                                    
2021 to  2023. She voiced  that audits were costly  and much                                                                    
of  the discussion  was focused  on the  board's fee  issues                                                                    
that was the  fault of the department. She  thought that not                                                                    
granting  a full  8-year extension  punished  the board  and                                                                    
expressed  confidence in  the board's  ability to  carry out                                                                    
its duties.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
2:24:58 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
KRIS  CURTIS, LEGISLATIVE  AUDITOR, DIVISION  OF LEGISLATIVE                                                                    
AUDIT,  stated that  the  decision was  a  policy call.  She                                                                    
reiterated  that  the maximum  extension  was  8 years.  She                                                                    
reminded committee  members that the division  recommended a                                                                    
four-year extension  because of recommendation  number three                                                                    
identifying the fees as a barrier to entry.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
Representative  Wilson stated  that  the issue  was not  the                                                                    
board's fault. The board had  attempted to increase its fees                                                                    
and were  opposed by  the department  only to  discover that                                                                    
the action was correct. She  was comfortable with the 6-year                                                                    
extension.  She agreed  that the  action was  both a  policy                                                                    
call and  a financial call.  She assured the  committee that                                                                    
the board  would carefully measure  the impact the  fees had                                                                    
on the profession.                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
CRYSTAL  KOENEMAN,  STAFF,   REPRESENTATIVE  SAM  KITO  III,                                                                    
relayed  that  the  sponsor  and  the  board  supported  the                                                                    
amendment.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Seaton WITHDREW his OBJECTION.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
There being NO OBJECTION, Amendment 1 was ADOPTED.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
Vice-Chair Gara  reviewed the fiscal note.  He reported that                                                                    
a  previously   published  fiscal   impact  note   from  the                                                                    
Department of Commerce,  Community and Economic Development,                                                                    
FN1 (DEC)  in the amount  of $4.5 thousand  was appropriated                                                                    
over the next five years.                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
Representative  Wilson  indicated  that  the  funds  in  the                                                                    
fiscal note were comprised of program receipts.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
2:28:06 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Seaton  MOVED to  report out CSHB  49 (FIN)  out of                                                                    
Committee  as amended  with  individual recommendations  and                                                                    
the accompanying fiscal note.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
CSHB  49 (FIN)  was REPORTED  out  of committee  with a  "do                                                                    
pass"  recommendation and  with a  previously public  fiscal                                                                    
note: FN1 (CED).                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
2:28:33 PM                                                                                                                    
AT EASE                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
2:29:28 PM                                                                                                                    
RECONVENED                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Foster  noted that amendments  for HB 111  were due                                                                    
by 5:00 PM on Thursday, April 6, 2017.