STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2453

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 2215

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2014

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Public Safety, Intergovernmental and Military Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 2215 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO MEDICAL AMNESTY,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to encourage responsible decisions and increase public safety by establishing limited immunity for individuals who seek medical assistance for victims of alcohol or drug-related overdoses or for themselves during an alcohol or drug-related overdose emergency.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Health; Community Alliance on Prisons; CHOW Project; Drug Policy Action Group; Medical Amnesty Initiative; and six individuals.

     Your Committee finds that overdoses have increased, becoming a leading mechanism of injury-related mortality in Hawaii.  The threat of criminal punishment often causes individuals to hesitate from taking necessary action in emergency overdose situations.  Medical amnesty policies encourage individuals to make responsible decisions by shielding them from punishment when they seek medical attention during an emergency involving alcohol or controlled substances.  Medical amnesty is a life-saving policy and is in the best interest of the public's health, safety, and welfare.  Accordingly, this measure enables individuals to make life-saving decisions by establishing limited immunity for individuals who seek medical assistance for themselves or others during an overdose emergency.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Public Safety, Intergovernmental and Military Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2215 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Judiciary and Labor.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Public Safety, Intergovernmental and Military Affairs,

____________________________

WILL ESPERO, Chair