Bill Text: HI HB1708 | 2012 | Regular Session | Amended

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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Bill Title: Mental Health; Emergency Examination; Telemedicine

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2012-03-08 - (S) Referred to HTH/JDL, WAM. [HB1708 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2012-HB1708-Amended.html

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STAND. COM. REP. NO.  379-12

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2012

 

RE:   H.B. No. 1708

      H.D. 2

 

 

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2012

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred H.B. No. 1708, H.D. 1, entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO MENTAL HEALTH,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this measure is to allow licensed physicians, psychiatrists, and psychologists to use telemedicine to conduct emergency examinations of patients at psychiatric facilities; provided that a health care professional is present in the room with the patient during the examination.

 

     The Department of Health and Hawaii Medical Association testified in support of this measure.  The Office of the Public Defender testified in opposition to the measure.

 

     Your Committee is mindful that examinations under this bill could result in the involuntary commitment of a person.

 

     Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Specifying that the emergency examination by telemedicine shall be limited to cases of geographically remote facilities with no immediate access to a licensed physician, psychiatrist, or psychologist; and

 

     (2)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for clarity, consistency, and style.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1708, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to the Committee on Finance in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1708, H.D. 2.

 

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

 

 

		____________________________ GILBERT KEITH-AGARAN, Chair