Bill Summary for Bill Number SB13-039

Date: 03/14/2013

Final
BILL SUMMARY for SB13-039

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON HEALTH, INSURANCE & ENVIRONMENT

Votes: View-->	Action Taken:
Refer Senate Bill 13-039 to the Committee on Finan	PASS

02:20 PM -- Senate Bill 13-039

Representative McCann presented Senate Bill 13-039 concerning the regulation of audiologists. The bill requires that audiologists be licensed by the Division of Professions and Occupations in the Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA). Only individuals properly licensed may use the title "audiologist" or otherwise represent themselves as such. The bill:

defines the practice of audiology and the scope of audiologists' work;
specifies educational background and examination requirements;
requires the division to adopt necessary rules;
provides the DORA with the ability to set fees and schedule license renewals;
establishes the grounds for disciplinary proceedings;
authorizes the director of the division to take disciplinary actions; and
defines deceptive trade practices for audiologists.

The licensing program is repealed September 1, 2020, following a sunset review.

Representative McCann discussed the organizations that are supporting the bill and responded to questions from the committee.

02:24 PM -- Dr. Terri Ives, Colorado Academy of Audiology, testified in support of the bill. She discussed the regulation of audiologists. She provided several handouts to the committee (Attachments C through F) and referenced a letter that was distributed to the committee prior to the committee meeting. She stated that Colorado would be the only state that does not regulate audiologists if the bill is not enacted. Dr. Ives responded to questions about the benefits of regulating audiologists, the different types of audiologists, and the colleges for audiology. Dr. Ives discussed how a person becomes an audiologist and the scope of practice of audiologists in response to questions from the committee. She responded to questions about liability insurance for audiologists and whether the services provided by audiologists are covered by private insurance and Medicaid coverage.

130314 AttachC.pdf

130314 AttachD.pdf

130314 AttachE.pdf

130314 AttachF.pdf

02:37 PM -- Dr. Robert Traynor, Colorado Academy of Audiology, testified on the bill. He discussed his experience as an audiologist. Dr. Traynor responded to questions about the regulation of audiologists and integration of care.

02:46 PM -- Paul Dekker, Colorado Hearing Society, testified in support of the bill.

02:48 PM -- Dino Ioannides, Department of Regulatory Agencies, responded to questions about House Bill 12-1205 concerning the regulation of persons who engage in business related to persons with hearing impairments, which was postponed indefinitely. He discussed the history of the regulation of audiologists and the types of complaints that have been filed against audiologists in response to questions from the committee.

02:54 PM

Representative McCann provided concluding remarks on the bill. The committee took a brief recess.

02:57 PM

Representative Schafer called the committee back to order.


BILL:	SB13-039
TIME:	02:57:19 PM
MOVED:	McCann
MOTION:	Refer Senate Bill 13-039 to the Committee on Finance. The motion passed on a vote of 10-1.
SECONDED:	Schafer
		VOTE
	Conti	Yes
	Fields	Yes
	Ginal	Yes
	Humphrey	Yes
	Joshi	Yes
	Primavera	Yes
	Stephens	Yes
	Swalm	No
	Young	Yes
	Schafer	Yes
	McCann	Yes

Final YES: 10 NO: 1 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS