Bill > SB955

This bill makes several changes to Hawaii's legal procedures regarding fitness-to-proceed examinations and escape offenses. It expands the types of health care professionals who can serve as qualified examiners for fitness-to-proceed evaluations, including adding advanced practice registered nurses specializing in psychiatry. The bill reduces the number of required examiners in felony cases from three to one and introduces new requirements for court status hearings when a defendant is committed to a hospital or facility for examination, mandating hearings at specific intervals (no less than weekly) to determine the necessity of continued commitment. Additionally, the bill modifies penalties for escape in the second degree, establishing that individuals who escape from the director of health's custody while awaiting a fitness-to-proceed examination will be charged with a petty misdemeanor, unless they commit a new felony during the escape. The changes are set to be in effect from July 1, 3000, with a sunset provision that repeals the amendments on December 31, 2026, reverting the law to its previous form. The bill aims to streamline fitness-to-proceed examinations, provide more flexibility in professional examiner requirements, and create a more nuanced approach to handling escapes during medical evaluations.

Budget and Finance, Health and Social Services, Justice

https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=SB&billnumber=955&year=2026