STAND. COM. REP. NO.  219-08

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2008

RE:   H.B. No. 3148

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2008

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Health, to which was referred H.B. No. 3148 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO CONDITIONAL RELEASE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to maximize the use of limited bed spaces and resources at Hawaii State Hospital by providing treatment and review options for individuals on conditional release who may require further hospitalization.

     The Department of Health, Judiciary, and Hawaii Psychiatric Medical Association testified in support of this bill.

     Currently, when there is evidence that additional hospitalization is required of committed individuals on conditional release, the common practice is a revocation of the conditional release.  The problem is that this requires the commitment of the individual for a minimum of 90 days.  This bill clarifies the use of a shorter 72-hour hold of the individual in lieu of a revocation, by providing that for a conditionally released individual under a 72-hour hold, a court may conduct a hearing to determine whether the individual would benefit from further temporary hospitalization for a period of up to 90 days, subject to an extension.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 3148 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Judiciary.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Health,

____________________________

JOSHUA B. GREEN, M.D., Chair