STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2416

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 2811

       S.D. 2

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2010

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection, to which was referred S.B. No. 2811, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PHARMACIES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to require all pharmacies and remote dispensing pharmacies to have the capacity to maintain and transmit prescriptions electronically.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of the intent of this measure from the Hawaii Medical Service Association.  Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Department of Health and the Board of Pharmacy.  Written testimony presented to the Committee may be reviewed on the Legislature's website.

     Your Committee finds that this measure will improve patient safety.  Your Committee also finds that this measure fits right in with efforts to connect Hawaii's health care delivery system electronically from available American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 funding through the Hawaii Health Information Exchange.  Your Committee is aware of concerns that this measure may impose a significant burden on small pharmacies and physicians' practices.  In this regard, your Committee notes that this measure has a required compliance date of January 1, 2012, and a delayed effective date of July 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion of this measure and to allow time to address these concerns. 

     Your Committee has amended this measure by making technical, nonsubstantive changes to conform to preferred drafting style.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2811, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2811, S.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection,

____________________________

ROSALYN H. BAKER, Chair