STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3305

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: H.B. No. 2553

H.D. 2

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2024

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Commerce and Consumer Protection and Health and Human Services, to which was referred H.B. No. 2553, H.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PHARMACISTS,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Authorize pharmacists to administer vaccines to persons three years of age or older;

(2) Authorize pharmacy interns and pharmacy technicians under the direct supervision of a pharmacist to administer vaccinations to persons between the ages of three and seventeen, if certain requirements are met; and

(3) Authorize pharmacists to order vaccines for administration to persons between the ages of three and seventeen.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Disability and Communication Access Board; Board of Pharmacy; University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo; Department of Health; Times Pharmacy; American Pharmacists Association; Retail Merchants of Hawaii; CVS Health; Walgreen Co.; Molokaʻi Drugs, Inc.; Hawaii Pharmacists Association; and nine individuals.

Your Committees received testimony in opposition to this measure from one individual.

Your Committees find that during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, certain temporary amendments were made to the federal Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act (PREP Act) to authorize pharmacists and certain pharmacy personnel to act beyond the limited scope of existing state law and order and administer a number of vaccines to children between the ages of three to seventeen, including routinely recommended childhood vaccinations. Your Committees find that this temporary authority greatly helped minimize interruptions to patient access to necessary, routine, and recommended vaccination services. Your Committees find that as the temporary authority provided under the PREP Act is slated to end on December 31, 2024, the State should codify the temporary federal amendments in state law and permanently authorize pharmacists and certain pharmacy personnel to order and administer vaccines to children between the ages of three and seventeen. Therefore, this measure will expand the role of licensed pharmacists and certain pharmacy personnel to administer vaccines to their communities and make it easier for families to protect their children against influenza and other highly contagious diseases.

Your Committees have amended this measure by:

(1) Inserting language that requires pharmacy interns and pharmacy technicians that administer vaccines to a person between three and seventeen years of age to have a Certified Pharmacy Technician certification from either the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board or National Healthcareer Association; and

(2) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Commerce and Consumer Protection and Health and Human Services that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2553, H.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2553, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Commerce and Consumer Protection and Health and Human Services,

________________________________ JOY A. SAN BUENAVENTURA, Chair

________________________________ JARRETT KEOHOKALOLE, Chair