STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2332

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 3069

       S.D. 1

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2008

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Health, to which was referred S.B. No. 3069 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO RECORDS OF DEFENDANTS COMMITTED TO A HOSPITAL CONTROLLED BY THE DIRECTOR OF HEALTH OR TO CUSTODY OF DIRECTOR OF HEALTH,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to improve the provision of mental health services for defendants committed to a state mental health facility.

     Specifically, this measure requires the courts to provide the Director of Health with the records of defendants either committed to a hospital controlled by or to the custody of the Director of Health.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Health and the Hawaii Government Employees Association.

     Your Committee finds that this measure will centralize and streamline the Department of Health's efforts to collect background information on defendants who are committed to the state hospital for a forensic examination or to the Department's custody when found unfit to stand trial or acquitted.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by making technical, nonsubstantive changes for the purposes of clarity, consistency, style, and to accurately reflect existing statutory language.

     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 S.B. No. 3069, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 3069, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Judiciary and Labor.

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

____________________________

DAVID Y. IGE, Chair