STAND. COM. REP. 170

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2003

RE: H.B. No. 556

H.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2003

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Health, to which was referred H.B. No. 556 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PEER SUPPORT COUNSELING SESSIONS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to provide confidentiality to emergency service personnel and law enforcement officers during peer support counseling sessions.

The Honolulu Police Department, State of Hawaii Organization of Police Officers, Hawaii Fire Fighters Association, and several concerned individuals testified in support of this measure. The Office of Information Practices submitted comments.

Your Committee finds that law enforcement officers and emergency service personnel experience a high level of emotional stress in performing their job duties. These individuals find counseling invaluable in coping with the stress of fulfilling their responsibilities, but are not always confident that information shared during counseling sessions remain confidential. Your Committee believes that this measure will alleviate the concerns of law enforcement officers and emergency service personnel and will encourage these individuals to seek peer support counseling services.

Your Committee has amended this bill to clarify that information shared during peer support counseling sessions are confidential not only to the public, but also between agencies.

Other technical, nonsubstantive amendments were also made for 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 H.B. No. 556, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 556, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Labor and Public Employment.

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

 

____________________________

DENNIS A. ARAKAKI, Chair