STAND. COM. REP. NO. 635

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    S.B. No. 305

       S.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2015

State of Hawaii

 

Madam:

 

     Your Committee on Health, to which was referred S.B. No. 305 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO USE OF TOBACCO PRODUCTS AND E-CIGARETTES ON HAWAII HEALTH SYSTEMS CORPORATION PREMISES,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to prohibit the use of tobacco products and e-cigarettes on all of the Hawaii Health Systems Corporation's premises.

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaii Health Systems Corporation; Healthcare Association of Hawaii; The Queen's Health Systems; Coalition for a Tobacco-Free Hawaii; and Foodland Supermarkets, Ltd.  Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from VOLCANO Fine Electronic Cigarettes, Hawaii Smokers Alliance, and ten individuals.

 

     Your Committee finds that facilities within the Hawaii Health Systems Corporation are committed to providing quality healthcare for the people of Hawaii and taking steps to reduce the occurrence of preventable disease.  Consistent with this commitment, the Corporation must not permit the use of tobacco and other potentially dangerous substances on the campuses of its health facilities.  Allowing such use would not only expose vulnerable patients, employees, and visitors to the perils of harmful substances, but would also demonstrate a shortcoming in the Corporation's goal of reducing the occurrence of preventable disease.

 

     Your Committee has amended this measure by making a technical, nonsubstantive amendment for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

 

     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 S.B. No. 305, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 305, S.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

 

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

 

 

 

____________________________

JOSH GREEN, Chair