Bill > SB705

This bill addresses the use of "excited delirium" as a medical diagnosis or cause of death in Hawaii by prohibiting its use across multiple official contexts. Specifically, the bill prevents local health officers from documenting excited delirium on death certificates or in official reports, mandates that law enforcement officers cannot use the term in incident reports, and establishes a rule of evidence that makes any references to excited delirium inadmissible in civil actions. The bill defines excited delirium as a term describing a person's agitated or aggressive state that is not recognized in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders and lacks sufficient scientific evidence to be considered a legitimate medical condition. The legislation effectively bans the use of "excited delirium" in official documentation, medical reporting, and legal proceedings, requiring instead that individuals' specific behaviors and conditions be described factually without using this controversial term. The bill aims to eliminate what legislators likely view as a problematic and potentially misleading diagnostic label, particularly in contexts involving law enforcement and medical assessments of individuals in distress. The act will take effect immediately upon approval.

Health and Social Services

https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=SB&billnumber=705&year=2025