STAND. COM. REP. NO.  195-16

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2016

RE:   H.B. No. 2356

      H.D. 1

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2016

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Health, to which was referred H.B. No. 2356 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO BIRTH DEFECTS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to amend provisions relating to the use of collected information related to birth defects studies.

     Specifically, this measure:

(1)  Authorizes the Department of Health to communicate with the primary care provider of a child identified with a birth defect, as a result of information collected pursuant to birth defect studies, to provide information about programs and resources that may help the child; and

(2)  Clarifies that an Institutional Review Board may exempt an activity using birth defects data under the Board's rules of exemptions.

The Department of Health and the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Hawaii Section, testified in support of this measure.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1)  Clarifying that it takes effect on July 1, 2016; and

(2)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for clarity, consistency, and style.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2356, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2356, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Health,

____________________________

DELLA AU BELATTI, Chair