STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2072

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 2315

       S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2016

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health, to which was referred S.B. No. 2315 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO JURY DUTY,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to exempt from jury duty mothers who breastfeed or express breast milk; provided that this exemption shall end when a mother is no longer breastfeeding or expressing breast milk.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women; Breastfeeding Hawaii; Planned Parenthood Votes Northwest and Hawaii; American Association of University Women-Hawaii; Hawaii State Coalition Against Domestic Violence; Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies; and two individuals.

     Your Committee finds that breastfeeding has been shown to be beneficial for mothers and their infants.  However, for many mothers, breastfeeding can be difficult to begin and hard to maintain.  Multiple barriers also exist for women who wish to continue breastfeeding.  Your Committee further finds that jury duty can be burdensome to breastfeeding mothers, as mother-child separation creates a serious challenge to continued breastfeeding.  Women who serve on a jury may also lack access to a clean, private space to express breast milk.  Your Committee additionally finds that supportive policies can help women continue breastfeeding.  The jury duty exemption for breastfeeding mothers, as proposed by this measure, is one such policy that can support and benefit breastfeeding mothers and their children.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2315, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2315, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary and Labor.

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

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ROSALYN H. BAKER, Chair