STAND. COM. REP. NO. 298

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    S.B. No. 932

       S.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2009

State of Hawaii

 

Madam:

 

     Your Committee on Health, to which was referred S.B. No. 932 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO INFECTIOUS DISEASE TESTING,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this measure is to improve the early diagnosis of human immunodeficiency virus infections by removing significant procedural barriers to human immunodeficiency virus testing.

 

     This measure accomplishes this purpose by replacing the requirement for pre-test human immunodeficiency virus counseling and for written informed consent with an opt-out requirement that requires a health care provider to inform a patient, either verbally or in writing, that they plan to perform a test to detect an human immunodeficiency virus infection and allows the patient to decline the test.

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Health, Life Foundation, and one individual.  Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaii.

 

     Copies of written testimony are available for review on the Legislature's website.

 

     Your Committee finds that increasing access to human immunodeficiency virus testing will enable early detection and treatment for infected persons and lower the risk of human immunodeficiency virus transmission to their partners or others.

 

     Your Committee has amended this measure by making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and style.

 

     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. 932, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 932, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Judiciary and Government Operations.

 

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

 

 

 

____________________________

DAVID Y. IGE, Chair