Bill > HB1855

This bill establishes the Hawaii Violent Death Reporting System, a federally funded program overseen by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to collect data on violent deaths within the state, including suicides, homicides, deaths of undetermined intent, accidental firearm deaths, and legal intervention deaths. The system will be managed by a state agency or institution that receives a grant from the CDC and will require a minimum staff of two full-time positions: a principal investigator and manager, and a data abstractor. To facilitate data collection, medical examiners, physicians, and state and county agencies will be required to disclose information and records related to violent deaths, with this section superseding other confidentiality laws to allow for greater disclosure, though information on ongoing investigations will be disclosed at the discretion of law enforcement. While data collected by the system will be confidential, statistical summaries that do not identify individuals will be considered public records. The bill also appropriates funds for the two full-time positions for the fiscal year 2026-2027 and will take effect on July 1, 2026.

Health and Social Services

https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=HB&billnumber=1855&year=2026