HONOLULU, Hawai‘i – The Senate Committee on Judiciary today passed House Bill 2739 titled “Our Care, Our Choice Act.” The bill allows a mentally competent, terminally ill adult with a prognosis of six months or less to live, the option to make their own end-of-life decisions.
The bill contains many of the legal safeguards that were in Senate Bill 1129 which passed the Senate in the 2017 Legislative Session and was deferred in a House Committee. The Judiciary Committee today advanced HB2739 unamended in a 4-1 vote. Prior to decision making, the members of the Committee shared their positions on the bill in a respectful, open discussion.
“All of us felt the weight of this decision knowing that it is a very important, very personal issue in the community,” said Senator Brian Taniguchi (Dist. 11 - Manoa, Makiki, Punchbowl, Papakolea), Chair of the Committee on Judiciary. “I appreciate all of those who submitted testimony and shared their stories and opinions on this bill. Be assured, they all were read and considered. In the end, the majority of the Committee felt this bill gives qualified individuals a choice on the best care for themselves.”
HB2739 now goes before the full Senate for third reading. If the bill passes in third reading, it will be transmitted back to the House and will be enrolled to the Governor for his review.
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