STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3039

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 3132

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2026

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Judiciary and Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 3132, S.D. 1, entitled:

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

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Require hospitals with emergency departments that are licensed in the State to submit syndromic surveillance data to the Department of Health; and

(2) Authorize the Department of Health to establish by administrative rules a syndromic surveillance system under state jurisdiction that is independent of federal systems.

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

Your Committees find that the recent 2023 Maui wildfires, COVID-19 pandemic, and volcanic eruptions have demonstrated the value of syndromic surveillance data to the State's public health responses. Syndromic surveillance data is health-related information that is routinely collected in near real-time in health care settings that focuses on symptoms and syndromes, facilitating rapid detection of and response to public health threats. While the Department of Health currently relies on a federally administered syndromic surveillance system, participation in that program is voluntary and gaps in data in rural areas limit the State's ability to tailor analyses to local needs and disparities. This measure strengthens the State's public health readiness and fortifies its public health monitoring capacity against potential disruptions at the federal level.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Judiciary and Ways and Means that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 3132, S.D. 1, and recommend that it pass Third Reading.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Judiciary and Ways and Means,

________________________________ DONOVAN M. DELA CRUZ, Chair

________________________________ KARL RHOADS, Chair