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Straight-ahead summaries built from the official bill text. We keep the source links front and center and leave the decision up to you.

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HB970 • 2026

RELATING TO CHIROPRACTIC.

RELATING TO CHIROPRACTIC.

Education
Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor
QUINLAN
Last action
2025-12-08
Official status
Carried over to 2026 Regular Session.
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The candidate explanation included a claim about the bill not applying to applicants who started their education before certain dates, which is not supported by the official source material.

Chiropractic Student Clinical Practice

This bill allows students in certain chiropractic colleges to practice clinically under the supervision of a licensed chiropractor as part of their education.

What This Bill Does

  • Allows chiropractic students to engage in clinical practice if supervised by a licensed chiropractor.
  • Requires these students to be enrolled in approved chiropractic colleges.
  • Requires the Hawaii Board of Chiropractic to create rules for this new exception.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Chiropractic students
  • Licensed chiropractors supervising students
  • Hawaii Board of Chiropractic

Terms To Know

Clinical practice
The hands-on work a student does as part of their education.
Accredited college
A school that meets certain standards set by an official organization.

Limits and Unknowns

  • This bill only affects students in approved chiropractic colleges.
  • The exact rules for this new exception will be made later by the Hawaii Board of Chiropractic.
  • It is not clear when these changes will actually take effect, as the effective date listed (7/1/3000) seems incorrect.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

HD1

1

Hawaii published version HD1

Plain English: This amendment allows chiropractic students to engage in clinical practice under the direct supervision of a licensed chiropractor as part of their education.

  • Allows chiropractic students enrolled in qualifying colleges to participate in supervised clinical practice during their studies.
  • The specific rules for what qualifies as a 'qualified chiropractic college' and the requirements for student supervision are not detailed here and will be determined by the Hawaii Board of Chiropractic through future rulemaking.

Bill History

  1. 2025-12-08 D

    Carried over to 2026 Regular Session.

  2. 2025-02-14 H

    Passed Second Reading as amended in HD 1 and referred to the committee(s) on CPC with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Cochran, Matayoshi, Poepoe, Ward excused (4).

  3. 2025-02-14 H

    Reported from HED (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 774) as amended in HD 1, recommending passage on Second Reading and referral to CPC.

  4. 2025-02-12 H

    The committee on HED recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 10 Ayes: Representative(s) Garrett, Amato, Evslin, Kapela, Kila, La Chica, Olds, Woodson, Muraoka, Souza; Ayes with reservations: none; Noes: none; and 1 Excused: Representative(s) Sayama.

  5. 2025-02-07 H

    Bill scheduled to be heard by HED on Wednesday, 02-12-25 2:00PM in House conference room 309 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.

  6. 2025-01-23 H

    Referred to HED, CPC, referral sheet 3

  7. 2025-01-23 H

    Introduced and Pass First Reading.

  8. 2025-01-21 H

    Pending introduction.

Official Summary Text

RELATING TO CHIROPRACTIC.
Chiropractic; Licensure; Exception; Students; Clinical Practice; Rules
Allows students enrolled in certain qualifying chiropractic colleges to engage in clinical practice as part of their college instruction if directly supervised by a qualified licensed chiropractor. Requires the Hawaii Board of Chiropractic to adopt rules. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
HB970

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

970

THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2025

STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

relating
to chiropractic
.

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

����
SECTION
1
.
�
Section 442-2, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is
amended to read as follows:

����
"
�442-2
�
License to practice.
�
(a)
�
It
shall be unlawful for any person to practice chiropractic without a
license.
�
Any person applying for a
license to practice chiropractic shall submit an application to the Hawaii
board of chiropractic accompanied by the application fee, and all documents and
affidavits that may be prescribed by law.
�

The application shall be submitted in accordance with the rules of the
board, shall be on a form prescribed by the board, and shall be signed by the
applicant.
�
In addition thereto, each
applicant shall furnish to the board:

����
(1)
�
Satisfactory
proof that the applicant has met the educational requirements prescribed in the
rules of the board; provided that these educational requirements shall not
apply to applicants having entered an approved chiropractic college on or
before October 31, 1955; and

����
(2)
�
Satisfactory
proof that the applicant graduated from a chiropractic college accredited by,
or recognized as a candidate for accreditation by, any chiropractic college
accrediting agency recognized by the United States Department of Education;
provided that the requirements shall not apply to applicants who matriculated
in any chiropractic college prior to October 15, 1984.

����
(b)
�

Except in the cases otherwise prescribed in this section each applicant
shall be a graduate of a chiropractic school or college accredited as provided
by this section.

����
(c)
�

Each applicant who successfully passes the examination shall pay a
license fee.

����
(d)
�

Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, nothing in this section
shall be construed to prohibit a student enrolled in a chiropractic college from
engaging in clinical practice under the direct supervision of a licensed
chiropractor as part of the student's educational program.
"

����
SECTION 2.
�

New statutory material is underscored.

����
SECTION 3.
�

This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

INTRODUCED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:

Chiropractic;
Licensure; Exception; Students; Clinical Practice

Description:

Allows
chiropractic students to engage in clinical practice as part of their college
instruction if directly supervised by a licensed chiropractor.

The summary description
of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is
not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.