STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1284

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2023

RE: S.B. No. 1018

S.D. 1

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2023

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Health & Homelessness, to which was referred S.B. No. 1018, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EMERGENCY POWERS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to specify, when a state of emergency or local state of emergency has been declared or during a health or pandemic emergency, that:

(1) The Governor shall regulate medical facilities appropriately to ensure continuity of service; and

(2) Any hospital may suspend elective surgeries to address the facility's bed capacity.

Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Healthcare Association of Hawaii.

Your Committee finds that the State's geographic isolation imposes high demands on the local health care system when an emergency occurs. This measure is intended to ensure that the State can maintain continuity of service in the health care system and hospitals can retain the flexibility necessary to adequately manage bed capacity during an emergency.

Your Committee has amended this measure by changing the effective date to June 30, 3000, to encourage further discussion.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health & Homelessness that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1018, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1018, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Water & Land.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Health & Homelessness,

____________________________

DELLA AU BELATTI, Chair