STAND. COM. REP. NO. 120

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2005

RE: S.B. No. 781

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2005

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Health, to which was referred S.B. No. 781 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO ENFORCEMENT OF QUARANTINE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to clarify that police officers and sheriffs have the authority and duty to enforce quarantine when required by the Department of Health.

The Department of Health and the Department of Public Safety submitted testimony in support of this measure.

Your Committee finds that the current language specifies a duty to remove other persons in the neighborhood of an infected or possibly infected person when removal of that person would endanger that person's life, but it is not specific enough regarding authority and duty to keep that person quarantined. Adding language specifying the authority to keep an infected person quarantined is appropriate under the State's duty to protect the health and welfare of its citizens.

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. 781 and recommends that it pass Second Reading 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