STAND. COM. REP. NO. 776-22

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2022

RE: H.B. No. 2293

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred H.B. No. 2293 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to establish the Prevent Suicide Hawaii Task Force under the Department of Health.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Health, Department of Education, John A. Burns School of Medicine, Joint Military Suicide Prevention Task Force, Prevent Suicide Hawai‘i Taskforce, Hawaii Substance Abuse Coalition, Hawai‘i Psychiatric Medical Association, Mental Health America of Hawai‘i, Hawai‘i Primary Care Association, Hawai‘i Health & Harm Reduction Center, Hui Malama Hawaii, Hawai‘i Public Health Association, and five individuals.

Your Committee finds that suicide is the fourth leading cause of death for children between the ages of ten and fourteen and is the leading cause of death for young people between the ages of fifteen and twenty-four. In Hawaii, suicide accounts for twenty-five percent of all fatal injuries. Your Committee further finds that a prevent suicide task force is urgently needed to help address the alarming trend of rising suicide rates and to arrive at effective prevention and intervention strategies that enable greater access to suicide prevention services and foster greater awareness of this serious public health problem.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Requiring the task force to consist of:

(A) One member who is a frontline Hawaii Psychiatric Medical Association psychiatrist serving rural and underserved communities, to be appointed by the Hawaii Psychiatric Medical Association; and

(B) One member from the Hawaii Primary Care Association, to be appointed by the Hawaii Primary Care Association; and

(2) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2293, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2293, H.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs,

____________________________

MARK M. NAKASHIMA, Chair