Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2003

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 1469, S.D. 1, entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to establish that communications between firefighters and counselors providing peer support counseling are privileged and may not be disclosed except in certain circumstances.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaii Fire Fighters Association, the State of Hawaii Organization of Police Officers, and the Honolulu Fire Department.

Your Committee finds that emergency personnel respond to and encounter stressful incidents and situations that sometimes result in post traumatic stress disorder. Critical Incident Stress Management teams have been established to provide peer support counseling to firefighters who have been through unusually traumatic experiences. Your Committee further finds that although confidentiality and privacy are critical to the success of counseling programs, peer support counseling communications are not statutorily protected. Your Committee further finds that this measure provides such protection.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1469, S.D. 1, and recommends that it pass Third Reading.