STAND. COM. REP. 2954

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2004

RE: H.B. No. 2472

H.D. 2

S.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2004

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Health, to which was referred H.B. No. 2472, H.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE SALE OF STERILE SYRINGES FOR THE PREVENTION OF DISEASE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to allow the continued sale of syringes for the prevention of disease by making permanent the provisions of Act 292, Session Laws of Hawaii (SLH) 2001.

Testimony in support of this measure was received from the Department of Health, John A. Burns School of Medicine of the University of Hawaii at Manoa, Life Foundation, Community Health Outreach Work to Prevent AIDS, Hawaii CARES, Harm Reduction Hawaii, HIV Service Agency of Kauai (Malama Pono), Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition of Hawaii, Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc., Drug Policy Action Group, a doctor, and an individual.

Your Committee finds that the Centers for Disease Control recognizes that use of sterile syringes reduces spread of blood borne diseases such as HIV and hepatitis. Research has also indicated that these laws do not lead to an increase in the number of new users, but rather lead to safer use by existing users.

Act 292, SLH 2001, permits pharmacists, physicians, and other health care institutions to sell sterile syringes. This measure would delete the sunset date and allow for the continuation of this effective public health intervention.

Your Committee has amended this measure by deleting its contents and replacing it with the contents of S.B. 2581, S.D.1, which includes a purpose section, and repeals section 2 of Act 292, Session Laws of Hawaii 2001, because the tasks in that section have already been completed.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2472, H.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2472, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs.

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

____________________________

ROSALYN H. BAKER, Chair