STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1400-26

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2026

RE: S.B. No. 3132

S.D. 1

H.D. 1

Honorable Nadine K. Nakamura

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2026

State of Hawaii

Madame:

Your Committee on Health, to which was referred S.B. No. 3132, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO SYNDROMIC SURVEILLANCE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to:

(1) Require hospitals with emergency departments to report syndromic surveillance data to the Department of Health;

(2) Authorize the Department of Health to create and operate a state syndromic surveillance system, as needed, that is independent of federal systems; and

(3) Authorize the Department of Health to require additional entities to submit syndromic surveillance data.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Health; State Health Planning and Development Agency; Healthcare Association of Hawaii; Pew Charitable Trusts; Hawaiʻi Pacific Health; and Hawaii Medical Association.

Your Committee finds that syndromic surveillance provides real-time insight into a variety of public health concerns and is extremely useful in disaster response, outbreak detection, long-term trend analysis of communicable and chronic diseases, and for making efficient resource allocation decisions. Your Committee further finds that although the Department of Health can access and analyze data through the federally funded National Syndromic Surveillance Program, the data submitted to the program is done so on a voluntary basis and is vulnerable to changing federal health priorities. Your Committee believes that establishing a separate state framework for the collection, analysis, and publication of syndromic surveillance data will provide the State with the flexibility it needs to rapidly detect and respond to public health threats.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Clarifying that syndromic surveillance data shall only be shared or redisclosed pursuant to state and federal laws, regulations, and rules governing health information and privacy; and

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

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 3132, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 3132, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce.

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

____________________________

GREGG TAKAYAMA, Chair