HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.C.R. NO.

207

THIRTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2019

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

requesting THAT the department of health convene a task force to examine how a statewide use of domestic violence assessments and response protocolS by emergency medical services personnel can help to strengthen the state's overall response to domestic violence.

 

 

 


     WHEREAS, the Legislature finds that domestic violence, also known as intimate partner violence, is a serious health and public safety concern that occurs across genders, with an estimated national average of 20 people experiencing domestic violence every minute; and

 

     WHEREAS, according to a 2017 report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in killings of women nationally where the circumstances were known, more than fifty percent of the cases involved intimate partner violence and one in ten victims of intimate partner violence-related homicide had reported experiencing prior acts of violence in the month preceding death; and

 

     WHEREAS, on a State level, the average annual number of cases in the Department of Health's Emergency Medical Services and Injury Prevention System Branch Pre-Hospital Medical Record System from 2013 through 2015 that involved intimate partner violence against females aged twelve to fifty years was 718 in the City and County of Honolulu, 116 in Hawaii County, 105 in Maui County, and 26 in Kauai County; and

 

     WHEREAS, domestic violence is a complex societal issue for which effective solutions require the combined efforts of key stakeholders, including emergency medical services personnel and other first responders who are often the first to respond to calls for help from victims of domestic violence; and

     WHEREAS, through their close interactions with known or suspected victims of domestic violence, emergency medical services personnel and other first responders are uniquely positioned to assess significant threats to a victim's life or personal safety; and

 

     WHEREAS, the data collected by emergency medical services personnel and other first responders during scene assessments is valuable not only in helping to keep victims of domestic violence safe, but also in more effectively preparing emergency medical services personnel and other first responders for the potential dangers associated with responding to domestic violence incidents; and

 

     WHEREAS, it is not the Legislature's intent to interfere with the critical and time-sensitive work of first responders, but to recognize the inherent opportunity to provide urgent interventions during the initial response to domestic violence incidents; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Thirtieth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2019, the Senate concurring, that the Department of Health is requested to convene a task force to examine how a statewide use of domestic violence assessments and response protocols by emergency medical services personnel can help to strengthen the State's overall response to domestic violence; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force is requested to include the following members:

 

     (1)  The Director of Health, or the Director's designee, who is requested to serve as the chair of the task force;

 

     (2)  The respective Emergency Medical Services chiefs of the City and County of Honolulu and the Counties of Hawaii, Kauai, and Maui, or their designees;

 

     (3)  Two members of each house of the Legislature, to be designated by the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, respectively, provided that at least one of the designated members is requested to be a member of the Women's Legislative Caucus;

 

     (4)  A representative from the Hawaii State Coalition Against Domestic Violence, or a similar victim advocacy organization invited by the chair of the task force; and

 

     (5)  A representative from a domestic violence advocacy organization from each county invited by the chair of the task force; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force is requested to examine:

 

     (1)  Whether the development of domestic violence assessments and response protocols may better protect victims of domestic violence and first responders; and

 

     (2)  Issues relevant to the implementation of domestic violence assessments and response protocols; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Health is requested to provide administrative support for the task force; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the chair of the task force is requested to invite other members to the task force, including the respective police chiefs of the four counties, or their designees, and representatives of government or community-based entities that share or compare data with emergency medical services personnel or other first responders to incidents of domestic violence; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force is requested to submit a report of its findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the Legislature no later than 20 days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2020; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Health; the respective Emergency Medical Services chiefs of the City and County of Honolulu and the Counties of Hawaii, Kauai, and Maui; and the Executive Director of the Hawaii State Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

 

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

_____________________________

 

 

Report Title: 

Domestic Violence; Task Force; First Responders