STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2763

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 3382

S.D. 2

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection, to which was referred S.B. No. 3382, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PRESCRIPTIONS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to allow the utilization of post office boxes for controlled substances prescriptions by amending the definition of "address" under chapter 329, Hawaii Revised Statutes.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from Kaiser Permanente Hawaii and one individual. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Board of Pharmacy.

Your Committee finds that, under existing requirements, if a patient with a controlled substance prescription has a post office box address, before dispensing, pharmacists must verify the patient's identification, note the identification number on the prescription, and change the address on file. This measure eliminates unnecessary burdens and increases workflow efficiencies by eliminating these steps if the physical address is already on file, saving pharmacists time and making good use of technology. The volume of prescriptions received with post office box addresses is significant, especially on the neighbor islands. This measure will therefore enable pharmacists to address other patient care responsibilities and reduce administrative burdens.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Expanding the definition of "address" to also include rural route boxes and highway contract route boxes;

(2) Inserting an effective date of January 1, 2023; and

(3) 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 and Consumer Protection that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 3382, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 3382, S.D. 2.

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

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ROSALYN H. BAKER, Chair