STAND. COM. REP. NO.  511

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2015

 

RE:   H.B. No. 448

      H.D. 1

 

 

 

 

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2015

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Health, to which was referred H.B. No. 448 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO DOMESTIC VIOLENCE,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this measure is to amend the multidisciplinary and multiagency review process for domestic violence fatalities to include the review of near-deaths and suicides resulting from intimate partner violence and to provide for the use of information collected from the review process in system reform efforts to reduce fatal and near-fatal outcomes of domestic violence.

 

     The Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women, Hawaii Women's Coalition, Hawaii State Democratic Women's Caucus, PHOCUSED, and an individual supported this measure.  The Hawaii State Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Community Safety & Support supported this bill with suggested amendments.  The Department of Health commented on this measure.

 

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

 

(1)  Specifying that the domestic violence fatality review team shall develop procedures related to near-deaths resulting from intimate partner violence and authorizing, rather than requiring, the Department of Health to enter into memoranda of understanding for that purpose;

 

(2)  Changing its effective date to July 1, 2050, to facilitate further discussion; and

 

(3)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for clarity, consistency, 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. 448, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 448, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Judiciary.

 

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

 

 

 

 

____________________________

DELLA AU BELATTI, Chair