STAND. COM. REP. NO. 741

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 1279

S.D. 2

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2025

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection, to which was referred S.B. No. 1279, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PHARMACISTS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to authorize registered pharmacists contracted with covered entities under the federal 340B Drug Pricing Program to supervise via telehealth the filling or receipt of prescriptions in certain circumstances.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaiʻi Primary Care Association, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, AARP Hawaiʻi, Alzheimer's Association, Grassroot Institute of Hawaii, Lānaʻi Community Health Center, and two individuals.

Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Board of Pharmacy.

Your Committee finds that providing pharmacy services via telehealth has been crucial in expanding access to affordable health care, especially for vulnerable populations in rural communities. The benefits of telehealth pharmacy services were demonstrated by the success of the Lanai Community Health Center's Tele Pharmacy Pilot Project, which allowed over one thousand patients, who otherwise waited for mail-order refills, to receive their medications more quickly. This measure allows the expertise and licensure of the State's limited number of pharmacists to be more broadly applied to suit the nature of an island-state through the remote supervision of filling and refilling prescribed medications. Tele-pharmacy services will directly benefit consumers, especially those in the State's isolated and underserved communities.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Inserting an effective date of July 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion; and

(2) 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. 1279, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1279, S.D. 2.

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

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JARRETT KEOHOKALOLE, Chair