STAND. COM. REP. NO. 180

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 134

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2017

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committees on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health and Higher Education, to which was referred S.B. No. 134 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to promote positive health practices and protect University of Hawaii students, employees, and visitors from exposure to secondhand smoke by prohibiting smoking, including the use of electronic smoking devices, and tobacco use on University of Hawaii premises.

     Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Health, Department of Education, University of Hawai‘i System, American Heart Association, Hawai‘i Public Health Institute, Student Health Advisory Council, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, and nine individuals.  Your Committees received testimony in opposition to this measure from United Public Workers, University of Hawaii Professional Assembly, Hawaii Smokers Alliance, and sixteen individuals.  Your Committees received comments on this measure from the University of Hawai‘i Student Caucus.

     Your Committees find that tobacco use continues to be the single most preventable cause of death and disability in the United States and Hawaii.  Cigarette smoking alone is responsible for more deaths than HIV/AIDS, alcohol, motor vehicle crashes, homicide, suicide, and illegal drugs combined.  Your Committees further find that the growing popularity of electronic smoking devices is a public health concern, as sales of electronic smoking devices nationwide have doubled each year since 2008.

     Your Committees find that tobacco-free college and university campuses present an opportunity to protect over 20,000,000 people across the country from the effects of smoking, as well as a key opportunity to protect youth and young adults from the harm of tobacco and electronic cigarette use.  According to the American Nonsmokers' Rights Foundation, as of January 2017, nearly 1,500 colleges and universities nationwide have adopted a completely tobacco-free policy.  Many colleges and universities are also including electronic smoking devices in their campus-wide bans.  Your Committees note that the benefits of a smoke-free campus go beyond health, increasing productivity and decreasing use of sick time, decreasing employee health care costs, decreasing the risk of fire, and possibly decreasing litter control and maintenance expenses for facilities and grounds.  Your Committees find that establishing a smoke-free policy at University of Hawai‘i System campuses will demonstrate Hawaii's continued commitment to health. 

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health and Higher Education that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 134 and recommend that it pass Second Reading and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary and Labor.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health and Higher Education,

________________________________ KAIALI'I KAHELE, Chair

________________________________ ROSALYN H. BAKER, Chair