STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2394

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2800

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2018

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health, to which was referred S.B. No. 2800 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE SHARING OF VITAL STATISTICS RECORDS WITH DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH PROGRAM EMPLOYEES FOR APPROVED RESEARCH PURPOSES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to provide an avenue for the Department of Health to share amongst its program employees certain personal health statistics records for research purposes, subject to approval by the Department's institutional review committee.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Health and Hawaii Primary Care Association.

Your Committee finds that this measure will allow the Department of Health to safeguard the privacy of vital records while providing limited sharing of vital statistics records amongst its employees, with approval from the Department's institutional review committee. Your Committee finds that, under existing law, the Department is authorized to use de-identified data for research purposes, however in many circumstances the use of identified data is also needed for research purposes. Your Committee finds that this measure will allow the Department of Health to conduct important public health research, including the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System research study.

Your Committee has amended this measure by 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 Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2800, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2800, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary.

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

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ROSALYN H. BAKER, Chair