WEEKLY RECAP

from Hawaii Family Forum, February 12,, 2023

Your taxpayer dollars may fund access to reproductive healthcare workers

In Hawaii, we already pay for abortion through Medicaid.  Now, more money from the general fund will also be used.

On Tuesday, February 7, 2023, HB1343 Relating to Reproductive Health Care Access, was heard by the joint house hearing of the House Committee on Human Services and the House Committee on Health & Homelessness.  This bill, if enacted, will use your tax payer dollars to fund a position that will:

     (1)  Develop and administer a training program for eligible licensed healthcare professionals to facilitate reproductive health care on every permanently populated island in the State;

     (2)  Develop and administer for eligible licensed healthcare professionals and their care teams a continuing education program on best practices for reproductive health care and patient management;

     (3)  Subsidize the cost of telehealth technology for reproductive health care providers in the State who demonstrate financial need;

     (4)  Coordinate and fund reproductive health care providers' reasonable and necessary travel expenses so that providers may provide rural and medically underserved areas of neighbor islands with reproductive health care and follow-up care;

     (5)  Establish and administer clinics in medically underserved areas of neighbor islands to provide reproductive health care services and information on reproductive health;

     (6)  Identify state laws, rules, or administrative practices that are barriers to the provision of effective reproductive health care; and

     (7)  Submit a report of the coordinator's findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of each regular session.

The votes in HLT were as follows: 
7 Ayes: Representative(s) Belatti, Takenouchi, Amato, Ilagan, Kobayashi, Mizuno, Nishimoto;
1 Noes: Representative(s) Garcia

The votes in HUS were as follows:
 7 Ayes: Representative(s) Mizuno, Amato, Belatti, Ilagan, Kobayashi, Takenouchi, Nishimoto;
1 Noes: Representative(s) Garcia

STATUS:  The amended bill will now move to the final committee in the House, the Finance Committee.

Substance Abuse Treatment for Pregnant Women

On Tuesday, February 7, 2023, the joint House Committees on Human Services and Health & Homelessness heard HB221 HD1 Relating to Human Services.  This bill, had it passed, would have ensured that pregnant women experiencing addiction, receives services to help them in their recovery for an additional ten months following childbirth.

We submitted testimony in support.

The bill was deferred by the committee.  The Department of Human Services testified that the bill would create more problems than its intent, and some of the benefits are already available through Medicaid, so the committees deferred the bill indefinitely.

Assisted Suicide Expansion Bill Easily Passes Senate Health & Human Services

SB 442, relating to Health, if passed, will reduce the current mandatory minimum 20 day waiting period between oral requests to 5 days, allow the attending provider to waive the mandatory minimum waiting period if the eligible patient is unlikely to survive the waiting period,  allow qualified Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) to support patients in the option of medical aid in dying by acting as the attending provider, consulting provider and/or mental health counselor as is within their existing scope of practice.

We submitted testimony in opposition.

On February 8, 2023 the Senate Committee on Health & Human services passed the bill with amendments.  The votes in HHS were as follows: 
3 Aye(s): Senator(s) San Buenaventura, Aquino, Moriwaki;
2 Excused: Senator(s) Shimabukuro, Awa.

STATUS:  The bill will now move to a final hearing in the Senate which will be a joint hearing of the Senate Consumer Protection and Judiciary.

Permanent Suicide Prevention Task Force

HB 622 HD1 is a bill that will make permanent the prevent suicide Hawaiʻi task force within the Department of Health. Requires the task force to focus on reducing the suicide rate among Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders in the State.  

We submitted testimony in support.

On February 8, 2022, the House Judiciary committee passed the bill with technical amendments. The voted in JDC were as follows;
( ) Ayes; (Reps) Tarnas, Takayama, Ganaden, Hashimoto, Holt, Ichiyama, Ilagan, Kong, Mizuno and Souza.

The bill will now move to the final House Committee, Finance.

Upcoming Legislative Deadlines

FEB 17 – FIRST LATERAL (BILLS) – All bills referred to more than one committee must move to their final committee in the originating chamber by this day. (Note: Committees must file their committee report with the bill by the previous day, February 16.) 

FEB 23 - MAR 1 – MANDATORY 5-DAY RECESS – Hawaii’s Constitution mandates a 5-day recess between the 20th and 40th days of the regular session. Neither the House of Representatives nor the Senate convene or assemble formally in chamber on recess days. Committee hearings do take place. 

MAR 3 – FIRST DECKING (BILLS) – Deadline for bills to emerge from all their committees (with committee reports filed) and be submitted to the clerk of the originating chamber. This “decking” ensures a mandatory 48-hour opportunity for final review by the chamber’s members before they are asked to vote on the third reading. Note: A bill must pass three readings (votes) in each chamber before being enrolled to the governor. (Note: Senate Bills with only a single referral need to be filed by the committee by March 2.)

Triple "F" Show: Faith and Family First

Abortion bills gaining momentum

Originally aired: February 9, 2023

In this episode, Jim Hochberg and I talk about the abortion bills moving right now and look at actual testimonies.  This is a great resource to see a hearing in action.  NOTE:  All testimony is in full without editing although we do provide commentary after.  

Abortion bills gaining momentum: Part Two

Continuation from part one above 

UPCOMING EVENTS

Legal Recreational Marijuana? Bills up next week

COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY

DATE:  Tuesday, February 14, 2023
TIME:  9:40 AM

SB 669  RELATING TO CANNABIS.

Establishes regulations for the cultivation, sale, and personal use of small amounts of cannabis.  Decriminalizes and regulates small amounts of cannabis for personal use.  Establishes taxes for cannabis sales. 

Submit Testimony

COMMITTEE ON HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE AND CONSUMER PROTECTION
DATE:  Wednesday, February 15, 2023
TIME:  9:30 AM

SB 375  RELATING TO CANNABIS.

Legalizes, regulates, and taxes cannabis and manufactured cannabis products for responsible, adult use.  Exempts sales of cannabis and manufactured cannabis products for medical use from the general excise tax.  Clarifies that qualifying out-of-state patients have the same rights and privileges under the medical cannabis law.  Allows qualifying out-of-state patients to cultivate medical cannabis.

Submit Testimony