STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1595

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2009

RE:   S.B. No. 937

      H.D. 1

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2009

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred S.B. No. 937 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO MENTAL HEALTH,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to continue to work toward effectively reducing the census at the Hawaii State Hospital by:

     (1)  Clarifying which statutes govern the process and standards of decision-making on applications for conditional release and discharge of forensic patients at the Hawaii State Hospital; and

     (2)  Improving the timeframe for the completion of the hearing process and rendering of decisions involving forensic patients by setting a 60-day deadline while providing for an extension if necessary.

     The Department of Health supported this bill.

     Your Committee has amended this bill by making technical, nonsubstantive changes for clarity and consistency.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 937, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 937, H.D. 1.

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

____________________________

JON RIKI KARAMATSU, Chair