STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1477-16

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2016

RE:   S.B. No. 2317

      S.D. 2

      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 Finance, to which was referred S.B. No. 2317, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to improve the State's knowledge of risk factors for child and maternal deaths.  Specifically, this measure, among other things:

     (1)  Requires the Director of Health (Director) to submit annual reports to the Legislature on child death and maternal death reviews;

     (2)  With respect to child death reviews:

          (A)  Requires a state or county agency to report deaths of children in the custody of the state or county agency to the Department of Health upon written request from the Director;

          (B)  Requires, upon written request from the Director, all providers of health care and social services, in addition to state and county agencies, to provide information related to the circumstances of a child death; and

          (C)  Prohibits the Department of Health from requesting the findings of any hospital quality committee review;

     (3)  With respect to maternal and perinatal studies, requires upon the request of the Director, all providers of health care, social services, and county and state agencies to provide information for use in any study to reduce morbidity or mortality, except findings of any hospital quality committee review; and

     (4)  Appropriates funds for the Department of Health to conduct child death reviews and to implement a program for the performance of maternal death reviews.

The Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women, Hawaii Children's Action Network, Hawaii Public Health Association, Hawaii State Democratic Caucus, Planned Parenthood Votes Northwest and Hawaii, American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, March of Dimes Hawaii Chapter, Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies Coalition of Hawaii, Kapiolani Child Protection Center, and several concerned individuals testified in support of this measure.  The Department of Health, Department of Human Services, Hawaii Pacific Health, and Healthcare Association of Hawaii provided comments.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Finance that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2317, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, and recommends that it pass Third Reading.

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

____________________________

SYLVIA LUKE, Chair