STAND. COM. REP. NO. 760-18

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2018

RE: H.B. No. 2735

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2018

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Higher Education, to which was referred H.B. No. 2735 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to promote and protect the health of University of Hawaii faculty, staff, students, and visitors by prohibiting smoking and the use of tobacco on all university premises.

The University of Hawaii, Department of Health, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, American Heart Association, Coalition for a Tobacco-Free Hawai‘i, Blue Zones Project - Hawaii, University of Hawaii Student Health Advisory Council, and numerous concerned individuals supported the measure.

Your Committee has concerns that this measure, if enacted, could limit the rights of legal medical marijuana patients. However, the University of Hawaii testified that it has adopted medical marijuana accommodations. Even so, if codified in the Hawaii Revised Statutes, said accommodations may conflict with federal guidelines.

Accordingly, should the Committee on Judiciary consider this measure, your Committee asks that it consider the issue of medical marijuana patient accommodations from a judicial standpoint.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Changing its effective date to July 1, 2112, to encourage further discussion; 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 Higher Education that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2735, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2735, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Higher Education,

____________________________

ANGUS L.K. McKELVEY, Chair