STAND. COM. REP. NO. 310

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 981

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2013

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committees on Health and Public Safety, Intergovernmental and Military Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 981 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PUBLIC HEALTH STATISTICS RECORDS,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to authorize the Department of Health to provide public health statistics records to law enforcement officers for evidence in criminal investigations.  

     Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of the Attorney General, City and County of Honolulu Department of the Prosecuting Attorney, City and County of Kauai Department of the Prosecuting Attorney, Honolulu Police Department, and County of Hawaii Police Department.

     Your Committees find that law enforcement officers cannot generally obtain public health statistics records during investigations without a court order.  The process of obtaining a court order for these records is time consuming and can often delay investigations involving physical evidence, safety of victims, availability of witnesses, or the ability to locate suspects.  Your Committees find that this delay negatively impacts criminal investigations in the State by threatening the safety of victims and others, compromising physical evidence, and delaying apprehension of suspects.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Health and Public Safety, Intergovernmental and Military Affairs that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 981 and recommend that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Judiciary and Labor.

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

____________________________ WILL ESPERO, Chair

____________________________ JOSH GREEN, Chair