STAND. COM. REP. NO.633

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2003

RE: S.B. No. 1360

S.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2003

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 1360, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to establish new requirements for persons authorized to certify, witness, and maintain "comfort care only" documents, and deletes the requirement that the patient must be terminally ill.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Health, the East Maui County Council Member, and the Policy Advisory Board for elder Affairs.

Your Committee finds that individuals should have the autonomy to make decisions or to designate persons to make decisions on their behalf regarding health care choices. The requirement that physicians must first diagnose a person as terminally ill in order for a person to choose comfort-care only protocols usurps the person's self-determination rights.

Your Committee further finds that this measure provides consistency with other advanced care directive provisions and allows persons to make their own decisions concerning end-of-life care.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1360, S.D. 1, and recommends that it pass Third Reading.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs,

____________________________

COLLEEN HANABUSA, Chair