STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1759-18

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2018

RE: S.B. No. 2244

S.D. 1

H.D. 2

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2018

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce, to which was referred S.B. No. 2244, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO WORKERS' COMPENSATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to establish safety mechanisms within the workers' compensation system, similar to other areas of state law, to deter opioid abuse by:

(1) Requiring health care providers in the workers' compensation system who are authorized to prescribe opioids to adopt and maintain policies for informed consent to opioid therapy in circumstances that carry elevated risk of dependency; and

(2) Establishing limits for concurrent opioid and benzodiazepine prescriptions in the workers' compensation system.

The Department of Health, Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, Department of Human Resources of the City and County of Honolulu, Oahu County Committee on Legislative Priorities of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i, Hawaii Substance Abuse Coalition, and Drug Policy Forum of Hawaii testified in support of this measure.

Your Committee has amended this measure by making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for clarity, consistency, and style.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2244, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2244, S.D. 1, H.D. 2.

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

____________________________

ROY M. TAKUMI, Chair