STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2765

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    H.B. No. 2349

       H.D. 1

       S.D. 1

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2010

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Health, to which was referred H.B. No. 2349, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO VIOLENCE AGAINST HEALTH CARE PERSONNEL,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to extend assault and terroristic threatening protections to emergency room health care personnel.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaii Medical Association, Kaiser Permanente, the Hawaii Government Employees Association, AFSCME Local 125, AFL-CIO, the Healthcare Association of Hawaii, and two individuals.  Written testimony presented to the Committee may be reviewed on the Legislature's website.

     Your Committee finds that emergency medical workers serve an indispensable public need but face a high level of risk in the line of duty.  The Legislature previously acknowledged these heightened risks by passing Act 79, Session Laws of Hawaii 2007, which increased penalties for terroristic threatening and second degree assault against mobile intensive care technicians and emergency medical technicians. 

     Your Committee finds that this measure extends protection from terroristic threatening and second degree assault to other emergency room personnel, including physicians, physician's assistants, nurses, or nurse practitioners who provide medical services in the emergency room of a hospital.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by making it effective upon approval.

     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. 2349, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2349, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Judiciary and Government Operations.

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

____________________________

DAVID Y. IGE, Chair