STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1372

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2017

RE:   S.B. No. 501

      S.D. 1

      H.D. 1

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2017

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Health, to which was referred S.B. No. 501, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to ensure that women in Hawaii have timely and appropriate access to comprehensive reproductive health services by requiring limited service pregnancy centers to disclose the availability of and enrollment information for publicly-funded reproductive health services and adhere to privacy and disclosure requirements for client records.  This measure also establishes civil penalties for noncompliance and authorizes civil actions for enforcement.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women, Hawaii Section of the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, National Association of Social Workers – Hawaii, Early Childhood Action Strategy, Hawaii Women Lawyers, Young Progressives Demanding Action, Planned Parenthood Votes Northwest and Hawaii, LGBT Caucus of the Democratic Party of Hawaii, Hawaii Nurses Association, OPEIU Local 50, Hawaii Women's Coalition, Hawaii State Democratic Women's Caucus, and many individuals.  Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from Aloha Pregnancy Care and Counseling Center, Calvary Chapel Pearl Harbor, Malama Pregnancy Center of Maui, A Place for Women in Waipio, Hawaii Republican Party State House District 41, Hawaii Catholic Conference, Hawaii Family Forum, Hawaii Life Alliance, The Pearson Foundation of Hawaii, Inc., Concerned Women for America of Hawaii, Christian Counseling and Research Centers of America, Hawaii Federation of Republican Women, and numerous individuals.  The Department of Health and an individual submitted comments.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Broadening its applicability to include all facilities that advertise or solicit clients with offers to provide prenatal sonography, pregnancy tests, or pregnancy options counseling, including contracted providers with the Med-QUEST Division or a Medicaid health plan;

     (2)  Amending content requirements for mandatory disclosures to accurately reflect the potential scope of services offered by this broader class of facilities; and

     (3)  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 Health that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 501, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 501, S.D. 1, 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