CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REP. NO. 78

Honolulu, Hawaii

                 , 2013

RE:    S.B. No. 655

       S.D. 2

       H.D. 2

       C.D. 1

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2013

State of Hawaii

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2013

State of Hawaii

Madam and Sir:

     Your Committee on Conference on the disagreeing vote of the Senate to the amendments proposed by the House of Representatives in S.B. No. 655, S.D. 2, H.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH,"

having met, and after full and free discussion, has agreed to recommend and does recommend to the respective Houses the final passage of this bill in an amended form.

     The purpose of this measure is to allow health care professionals to dispense or prescribe medication, without examination, to the partners of patients diagnosed as having a sexually transmitted disease recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for expedited partner therapy.

     Your Committee on Conference finds that many patients who have been diagnosed with sexually transmitted diseases, including chlamydia and gonorrhea, have sexual partners who refuse to seek treatment.  To prevent reinfection, your Committee on Conference finds that adequate treatment of sexually transmitted diseases should include treatment of sexual partners.

     Your Committee on Conference has amended this measure by changing the effective date to upon approval.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the managers of your Committee on Conference that is attached to this report, your Committee on Conference is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 655, S.D. 2, H.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Final Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 655, S.D. 2, H.D. 2, C.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the managers:

ON THE PART OF THE HOUSE

ON THE PART OF THE SENATE

____________________________ DELLA AU BELATTI, Co-Chair	____________________________ JOSH GREEN, Chair
____________________________ ANGUS L.K. MCKELVEY, Co-Chair	____________________________ ROSALYN H. BAKER, Co-Chair
____________________________ JESSICA WOOLEY, Co-Chair