Bill Text: HI HB2516 | 2014 | Regular Session | Introduced


Bill Title: Department of Health and Environmental Services

Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 13-2)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2014-02-26 - The committee(s) on HLT recommend(s) that the measure be deferred. [HB2516 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2014-HB2516-Introduced.html

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

2516

TWENTY-SEVENTH LEGISLATURE, 2014

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

 

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

 

RELATING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH.

 

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

 


     SECTION 1.  The mission of the department of health is to protect and improve the health and environment for all persons in the State.  The department of health provides oversight over a wide range of areas, including diseases and immunization, emergency preparedness and response, family health, injury prevention and control, mental illness, substance abuse, and behavioral health, as well as environmental health.  The legislature finds that Hawaii is one of the last two states with a department of health that provides oversight over environment.     The purpose of this Act is to recognize the significance of the environment and environmental issues under the department of health by changing the name of the department of health to the department of health and environmental services.

     SECTION 2.  Section 26-4, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:

     "§26-4  Structure of government.  Under the supervision of the governor, all executive and administrative offices, departments, and instrumentalities of the state government and their respective functions, powers, and duties shall be allocated among and within the following principal departments that are hereby established:

     (1)  Department of human resources development (Section 26-5)

     (2)  Department of accounting and general services (Section 26-6)

     (3)  Department of the attorney general (Section 26-7)

     (4)  Department of budget and finance (Section 26-8)

     (5)  Department of commerce and consumer affairs (Section 26-9)

     (6)  Department of taxation (Section 26-10)

     (7)  University of Hawaii (Section 26-11)

     (8)  Department of education (Section 26-12)

     (9)  Department of health and environmental services (Section 26-13)

    (10)  Department of human services (Section 26-14)

    (11)  Department of land and natural resources (Section 26-15)

    (12)  Department of agriculture (Section 26-16)

    (13)  Department of Hawaiian home lands (Section 26-17)

    (14)  Department of business, economic development, and tourism (Section 26-18)

    (15)  Department of transportation (Section 26-19)

    (16)  Department of labor and industrial relations (Section 26-20)

    (17)  Department of defense (Section 26-21)

    (18)  Department of public safety (Section 26-14.6)."

     SECTION 3.  Section 26-13, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:

     "§26-13  Department of health[.] and environmental services.  (a)  The department of health and environmental services shall be headed by a single executive to be known as the director of health[.] and environmental services.

     There shall be, within the department of health[,] and environmental services, an advisory board to be known as the board of health, which shall advise the director of health and environmental services on matters within the jurisdiction of the department of health[.] and environmental services.  The board of health shall consist of eleven voting members appointed by the governor as provided in section 26-34 and shall include the director of [[]human services[]] as an ex officio nonvoting member.  The appointed members shall include at least one resident of each of the major counties including the county of Kalawao.  The appointed members shall serve without compensation but shall be reimbursed for expenses, including travel expenses, necessary for the performance of their duties.

     The department shall administer programs designed to protect, preserve, care for, and improve the physical and mental health of the people of the State.  Without limit to the generality of the foregoing, the programs shall include the administration and enforcement of matters and laws of public health of the State, including the state hospital, but excluding assistance and care for the indigent and the medically indigent.

     (b)  The functions and authority heretofore exercised by the board of health (excluding assistance and care for the indigent and the medically indigent) and the department of institutions with respect to the state hospital and the dental health treatment function of the department of public instruction as heretofore constituted are transferred to the department of health and environmental services established by this chapter.

     The governor shall define and differentiate dental health treatment from dental health instruction and shall provide for the gradual transfer of any personnel within the definition of dental health treatment to the department of health[.] and environmental services.  This section shall not be construed to require the transfer from the department of education to the department of health and environmental services of any dental hygienist having a teacher's certificate and employed by the department of public instruction immediately prior to November 25, 1959."

     SECTION 4.  The Hawaii Revised Statutes is amended by substituting the words "department of health and environmental services" and "director of health and environmental services", or similar terms, whenever the words "department of health" and "director of health", or similar terms, appear, as the context requires.

SECTION 5.  All rules, policies, procedures, guidelines, and other material adopted or developed by the department of health to implement provisions of the Hawaii Revised Statutes that are made applicable to the department of health and environmental services by this Act, shall remain in full force and effect until amended or repealed by the department of health and environmental services, pursuant to chapter 91, Hawaii Revised Statutes.

In the interim, every reference to the department of health or the director of health in those rules, policies, procedures, guidelines, and other material is amended to refer to the department of health and environmental services or the director of health and environmental services, as appropriate.

SECTION 6.  Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken.  New statutory material is underscored.

SECTION 7.  This Act shall take effect on January 1, 2015.

 

INTRODUCED BY:

_____________________________

 

 


 


 

Report Title:

Department of Health and Environmental Services

 

Description:

Changes the name of the Department of Health to the Department of Health and Environmental Services.  Effective January 1, 2015.

 

 

 

The summary description of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.

 

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