STAND. COM. REP. NO. 331

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 1137

       S.D. 1

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2009

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committees on Health and Judiciary and Government Operations, to which was referred S.B. No. 1137 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to provide for public health and safety by enabling the Hawaii Health Systems Corporation to perform criminal history record checks on all persons employed or seeking employment, and current or prospective contractors, volunteers, and providers via the Hawaii Criminal Justice Data Center's Federal Bureau of Investigations checks.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaii Health Systems Corporation and one individual.

     Copies of written testimony are available for review on the Legislature's website.

Your Committees find that, due to a shortage of health care workers, the Hawaii Health Systems Corporation has recruited heavily from out-of-state.  Your Committees further find that in‑state checks have been conducted since the creation of Hawaii Health Systems Corporation.  This measure will enable in-state and out-of-state criminal record checks to be done in an efficient and effective manner by allowing access to the Federal Bureau of Investigations databank where criminal history records for all states can be retrieved.

     Your Committees have amended this measure by deleting the appropriation provision and by making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and style.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Health and Judiciary and Government Operations that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1137, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1137, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Health and Judiciary and Government Operations,

____________________________ BRIAN T. TANIGUCHI, Chair

____________________________ DAVID Y. IGE, Chair