STAND. COM. REP. NO.1233

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2001

RE: H.B. No. 650

H.D. 2

S.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2001

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Health and Human Services, to which was referred H.B. No. 650, H.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO ADVANCE DIRECTIVES FOR PSYCHIATRIC CARE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure, as received, is to allow a person to make their mental health treatment preference known prior to the loss of their mental capacity by establishing a mechanism for advanced care directive for psychiatric care.

Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the Department of Health, Hawaii Psychological Association, Mental Health Association in Hawaii, and a private citizen. The Hawaii Psychiatric Medical Association was opposed to this measure as written.

Your Committee believes that it is important for an individual to make their wishes known in cases where their mental capacity has been diminished. Your Committee further finds that although many organizations and state agencies support the intent of this measure, many were opposed to the language as drafted.

Your Committee has amended this measure by deleting its contents, and inserting language to expand the Uniform Health-Care Decisions Act to combine medical health care and mental health care directives and repeal the Medical Treatment Decisions for Psychotic Disorders Chapter.

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 H.B. No. 650, H.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 650, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Judiciary.

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

____________________________

DAVID MATSUURA, Chair