Requesting The Auditor To Conduct A Sunrise Analysis Of Lactation Consultant Licensure.
Summary
SCR14 is a Senate Concurrent Resolution that asks Hawaii’s Auditor to perform a sunrise analysis of proposed licensure for lactation consultants. The resolution references S.B. No. 317, which would create a Board of Lactation Consultants and require practitioners to be licensed, and it directs the Auditor to evaluate whether such regulation is warranted under Hawaii’s sunrise review process for new occupational licensing measures.
The resolution also sets a reporting deadline: the Auditor must submit findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the Legislature no later than twenty days before the 2026 Regular Session. In practical terms, SCR14 does not itself create a licensing scheme or change existing licensure rules; instead, it initiates the formal review process that could lead to future legislation regulating lactation consultants.
Impact
SCR14 does not directly amend the Hawaii Revised Statutes or impose new licensing requirements. Its legal effect is to request an official sunrise analysis under section 26H-6, HRS, for a currently unregulated profession, which may inform whether the Legislature should enact a licensing board or other regulatory controls for lactation consultants in a future session. The affected parties are lactation consultants, the proposed Board of Lactation Consultants, the Auditor, and lawmakers considering occupational regulation.
Sentiment
The available record suggests generally favorable support for the resolution, with the Senate Health and Human Services Committee passing it 4-0 with amendments. The bill text frames licensure as a response to the sensitive nature of the work and the need for greater oversight, indicating a regulatory-minded approach rather than opposition to the profession itself. No opposing testimony or recorded floor debate is provided in the materials.
Contention
The main point of contention implied by the resolution is whether lactation consultants should be treated like other licensed medical or health-related professions, or remain unregulated. Supporters appear to favor greater oversight and a formal licensing structure, while the need for a sunrise analysis reflects the possibility that regulation could be unnecessary, overly burdensome, or not justified under Hawaii’s occupational licensing standards. Because no committee transcript is available, specific arguments from opponents are not documented here.