STAND. COM. REP. NO. 502

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 536

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 S.B. No. 536 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PRESCRIPTIONS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to clarify that the existing law intended to curb over-access to and abuse of opioids, including the time frame for filling prescriptions, supply limitations, and requirements to check the state electronic prescription accountability system and execute an informed consent process, does not apply to qualifying patients who are prescribed or issued prescriptions pursuant to the State's Our Care, Our Choice Act.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Health.

Your Committee finds that for terminally ill patients, there is a convenience and diminished risk of accidental poisoning if medication is stored securely in a pharmacy as opposed to a private residence. Existing law requires that certain controlled substances be picked up after being filled within seven days. This measure allows medication that is prescribed pursuant to the Our Care, Our Choice Act, otherwise known as medical aid in dying, to be filled and held by the pharmacy for not more than thirty days to provide this convenience and safeguard for terminally ill patients.

Your Committee has amended this measure by making a technical, nonsubstantive amendment 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. 536, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 536, 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