STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1776

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: H.B. No. 214

H.D. 2

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2019

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health, to which was referred H.B. No. 214, H.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO DISINTERMENT OF HUMAN BODIES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to allow cemetery authorities with a current and active license with the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs to disinter and reinter the corpse or remains of a human body within the same cemetery without filing an application for a permit with the Department of Health.

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

Your Committee finds that it is important for Hawaii to have a disinterment law that clearly establishes the priorities of those persons who may direct a disinterment of a decedent and that permits funeral establishments, cemeteries, mortuaries, and crematories to rely and proceed in good faith on those directions authorized by representatives of the decedent's family. Your Committee notes that the Department of Health and interested stakeholders have had an opportunity to discuss this measure and believe that this measure, in its current form, will streamline the disinterment process and eliminate the burdensome permit requirement.

Your Committee has amended this measure by inserting an effective date of July 1, 2019.

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 H.B. No. 214, H.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 214, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

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

________________________________

ROSALYN H. BAKER, Chair