STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2771

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2119

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2024

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection, to which was referred S.B. No. 2119 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO OUT-OF-STATE PRESCRIPTIONS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to authorize out-of-state pharmacists to transfer prescription information for the initial fill of a prescription.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Health, Board of Pharmacy, Kaiser Permanente Hawaiʻi, CVS Health, Walgreen Co., and one individual.

Your Committee finds that the State is a significant travel destination for many out-of-state visitors, some of whom may require a prescription refill while on vacation or business in the State, which may delay treatment for existing conditions. Existing practices require these patients to contact their health care practitioner, who provides a verbal order for a prescription to a pharmacist. Because existing State law does not explicitly allow out-of-state pharmacists to transfer prescription information to in-state pharmacists for an initial prescription fill, local pharmacists must contact out-of-state health care practitioners for verbal order, resulting in treatment delays for out-of-state patients. This measure therefore reduces barriers by providing timely access to prescriptions.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2119 and recommends that it pass Third Reading.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection,

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JARRETT KEOHOKALOLE, Chair