STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1179

                                   Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                     , 1999

                                   RE:  H.B. No. 1138
                                        H.D. 1
                                        S.D. 1




Honorable Norman Mizuguchi
President of the Senate
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 1999
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committees on Health and Human Services and Judiciary,
to which was referred H.B. No. 1138, H.D. 1, entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EPIDEMIOLOGIC
     INVESTIGATIONS,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this administration measure is to allow the
Department of Health (DOH) to conduct epidemiological
investigations.

     Your Committees received testimony in support of this
measure from the DOH, Hawaii Medical Association, and Office of
Information Practices.

     According to the DOH, this measure would update its ability
to investigate significant causes of illness which threaten the
public health and safety, while protecting the confidentiality of
information and shielding the providers of information from
liability.

     Your Committees have amended this measure on recommendation
of the DOH by clarifying that the authorized representative may
only view the portion of the medical record that is relevant to
the subject of the investigation.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your
Committees on Health and Human Services and Judiciary that are

 
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                                   STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1179
                                   Page 2


attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the
intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1138, H.D. 1, as amended herein,
and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached
hereto as H.B. No. 1138, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, and be referred to the
Committee on Ways and Means.

                                   Respectfully submitted on
                                   behalf of the members of the
                                   Committees on Health and Human
                                   Services and Judiciary,



____________________________       ______________________________
AVERY B. CHUMBLEY, Co-Chair        SUZANNE CHUN OAKLAND, Chair



____________________________
MATTHEW M. MATSUNAGA, Co-Chair

 
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