Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2003

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Public Safety and Military Affairs, to which was referred H.B. No. 1216 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to enable the Department of Public Safety (DPS) to retain its responsibility for the medical and psychological health care of inmates by repealing the authority of the Director of Public Safety to allow prisoners to retain and pay private doctors or psychologists for their own care at the correctional facility.

DPS testified in support of this measure, and the American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaii offered comments.

According to DPS, its responsibility for the health of inmates is sometimes compromised when providers attempt to provide or prescribe services or medication that is either inappropriate for that patient, inconsistent with other care being provided, or inappropriate in a correctional setting.

Your Committee has amended this bill to correct a technical drafting error.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Public Safety and Military Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1216, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1216, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.