STAND. COM. REP. NO. 420

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 1433

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2025

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Health and Human Services, to which was referred S.B. No. 1433 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HARM REDUCTION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Amend the distribution system of sterile needles and syringes under the Sterile Needle and Syringe Exchange Program from a one-to-one exchange system to a needs-based distribution system;

(2) Authorize non-injection drug user participation in the Program; and

(3) Modify liability for Program participants, staff, and law enforcement officers.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Health, Hawaiʻi Health & Harm Reduction Center, and one individual.

Your Committee finds that sharing injection equipment among individuals who use drugs is a major contribution to the spread of human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV), hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and other serious bloodborne infections. Your Committee further finds that the State's Sterile Needle and Syringe Exchange Program has aimed to prevent the transmission of bloodborne pathogens and to provide individuals who inject drugs with services such as referrals to appropriate health and social services, thereby reducing the overall disease burden in the State. This measure updates various provisions of the Sterile Needle and Syringe Exchange Program to allow for critical improvements, thereby increasing the effectiveness and impact of the Program.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Inserting language to clarify that "authorized objects" is limited to objects that are incidental to syringe exchange;

(2) Clarifying that the possession or delivery of used needles or syringes containing residue shall not constitute a drug possession offense under certain sections of existing law for syringe exchange participants within six months after their last participation in a program visit; 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 Health and Human Services that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1433, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1433, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Health and Human Services,

________________________________

JOY A. SAN BUENAVENTURA, Chair