STAND. COM. REP. NO. 620

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2019

RE: H.B. No. 1013

H.D. 2

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2019

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred H.B. No. 1013, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO INVOLUNTARY HOSPITALIZATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to authorize the Director of the Department of Health to designate certain emergency departments to which persons requiring emergency mental health treatment may be taken by law enforcement.

The Department of Health and O‘ahu County Committee on Legislative Priorities of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i supported this measure. The Hawaii Health Systems Corporation, Hawai‘i Pacific Health, Kaiser Permanente Hawai‘i, and Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center opposed this measure. The Healthcare Association of Hawaii, The Queen's Health Systems, and an individual provided comments.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Deleting its substantive contents;

(2) Inserting a preamble; and

(3) Inserting language which establishes an Involuntary Hospitalization Task Force to examine certain sections of chapter 334, Hawaii Revised Statutes, and make recommendations to the Legislature to reduce unnecessary emergency department admissions and improve access for MH-1 patients to the most appropriate level of care.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1013, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to your Committee on Finance in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1013, H.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Judiciary,

____________________________

CHRIS LEE, Chair