STAND. COM. REP. NO. 600

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    S.B. No. 1114

       S.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

 

Madam:

 

     Your Committee on Human Services and Public Housing, to which was referred S.B. No. 1114 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO MEDICAID,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this measure is to require the Department of Human Services to directly reimburse sellers of over‑the‑counter Plan B emergency contraception to women who are recipients of Medicaid, without creating any expenses for recipients, who purchase the medication; and appropriates funds for this purpose.

 

     The Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women; Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition of Hawaii; and The Ohana Project submitted testimony in support of this measure.  The Department of Human Services and one individual submitted testimony in opposition.

 

     Your Committee finds that it is important to support a woman's ability to control her reproductive health and empower women to make carefully considered choices about family planning issues.  As noted by the testifiers, timely access to emergency contraception helps decrease unintended pregnancy rates.  By subsidizing the cost of emergency contraception, low‑income women are given an opportunity to have greater decision-making over their reproductive health and choices.

 

     It is your Committee's intent to support low‑income women's access to emergency contraception.  Your Committee has amended this measure by making technical, nonsubstantive changes for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Human Services and Public Housing that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1114, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1114, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

 

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

 

 

 

____________________________

SUZANNE CHUN OAKLAND, Chair