STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1372

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2005

RE: S.C.R. No. 111

S.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2005

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Health, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 111 entitled:

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE DIRECTOR OF HEALTH TO CONVENE A TEMPORARY INTERDEPARTMENTAL EMERGENCY CONTRACEPTION INFORMATION WORKING GROUP TO DEVELOP A MECHANISM TO EFFECTIVELY DISSEMINATE INFORMATION ON THE AVAILABILITY OF OVER-THE-COUNTER EMERGENCY CONTRACEPTION IN THE STATE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to convene a temporary interdepartmental emergency contraception information working group to develop a mechanism to disseminate information on the availability of emergency contraception in the State.

The Community Alliance on Prisons submitted testimony in support of this measure. The Department of Health and the Judiciary submitted comments.

The Department of Health testified regarding the existence of an Emergency Contraception Interagency Work Group comprised of members of the public and private sector that has already outlined priorities to promote emergency contraception awareness, increase utilization of emergency contraception, and monitor the impact of the emergency contraception program. Your Committee finds that information about the availability of emergency contraception and where to get it must be disseminated to the public in order for the initiative to be successful.

Your Committee has amended this measure by deleting any reference to the convening of a temporary interdepartmental emergency contraception information working group and instead tasks the existing work group to develop a mechanism to effectively disseminate information on the availability of over-the-counter emergency contraception in the State. At its request, your Committee has also deleted the Judiciary from participating in the work group.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 111, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to the Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs, in the form attached hereto as S.C.R. No. 111, S.D. 1.

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

____________________________

ROSALYN H. BAKER, Chair