STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1457

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    H.B. No. 558

       H.D. 1

       S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2017

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health, to which was referred H.B. No. 558, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE REPEAL OF SECTION 325-15, HAWAII REVISED STATUTES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to repeal section 325-15, Hawaii Revised Statutes, which requires United States citizens or nationals to submit a medical examination report to the Department of Health within sixty days of returning to the State after five years' residence in any United States territory or possession, or any foreign country, with a high occurrence of infectious and communicable diseases.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Health.

     Your Committee finds that the current mandatory testing for infectious and communicable diseases for United States citizens and nationals returning from certain areas after absences of five or more years does not help control tuberculosis, is costly to maintain, and is impractical to enforce.  Your Committee notes testimony submitted by the Department of Health that indicates the mandatory testing of infectious and communicable diseases has never truly been implemented since its enactment in 1978, and that no other state in the country has legislation similar to Hawaii that requires such testing.  Your Committee further finds that knowledge of the epidemiology of tuberculosis has improved significantly since mandatory testing was established in 1978, and that current data indicates very few, if any, contagious tuberculosis cases would be identified through the current mandated testing.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Inserting an effective date of July 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion; and

     (2)  Making a technical, nonsubstantive amendment 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 H.B. No. 558, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 558, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

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

________________________________

ROSALYN H. BAKER, Chair