Bill Text: HI HB36 | 2025 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating To Excited Delirium.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (N/A) 2025-01-10 - Prefiled. [HB36 Detail]
Download: Hawaii-2025-HB36-Introduced.html
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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES |
H.B. NO. |
36 |
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THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2025 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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A BILL FOR AN ACT
relating to excited delirium.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:
SECTION 1. Chapter 338, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new section to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:
(b) A local health officer or local agent of the
department of health shall not document, testify to, or otherwise use excited
delirium as a recognized medical diagnosis or cause of death in any official
capacity or communication.
(c) A local health officer or local agent of the
department of health shall not state on the certificate of death, or in any
report, that the cause of death was excited delirium. The local health officer or local agent of
the department of health may list and describe the contributing causes of death,
but shall not describe the underlying cause as excited delirium.
(d) A state or county government entity, or
employee or contractor of a state or county government entity, shall not
document, testify to, or otherwise use in any official capacity or
communication excited delirium as a recognized medical diagnosis or cause of
death.
(e) As used in this section, "excited
delirium" means a term used to describe a person's state of agitation,
excitability, paranoia, extreme aggression, physical violence, and apparent
immunity to pain that is not listed in the most current version of the
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, or for which a court
finds there is insufficient scientific evidence or diagnostic criteria to be
recognized as a medical condition. "Excited
delirium" includes but is not limited to excited delirium syndrome,
hyperactive delirium, agitated delirium, and exhaustive mania."
SECTION 2. Chapter 353C, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new section to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:
"§353C- Incident reports; excited delirium prohibited. (a) A law enforcement officer shall not use the term excited delirium to describe an individual in an incident report completed by a law enforcement officer. A law enforcement officer may describe the characteristics of an individual's conduct, but shall not generally describe the individual's demeanor, conduct, or physical or mental condition at issue as excited delirium.
(b) As used in this section:
"Excited delirium" shall have the same meaning as in section 338- .
"Law enforcement officer" shall have the same meaning as in section 134-81."
SECTION 3. Section 626-1, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new rule to article XI to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:
"Rule Excited delirium; prohibition. (a) Evidence that a person suffered or experienced excited delirium shall not be admitted in any civil action.
(b) A party or witness may describe the factual circumstances surrounding the case, including a person's demeanor, conduct, and physical or mental condition at issue, but shall not describe or diagnose the demeanor, conduct, or physical or mental condition as excited delirium, or attribute the demeanor, conduct, or physical or mental condition to excited delirium.
(c) As used in this rule, "excited
delirium" means a term used to describe a person's state of agitation,
excitability, paranoia, extreme aggression, physical violence, and apparent
immunity to pain that is not listed in the most current version of the
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, or for which the court
finds there is insufficient scientific evidence or diagnostic criteria to be
recognized as a medical condition. "Excited
delirium" includes but is not limited to excited delirium syndrome,
hyperactive delirium, agitated delirium, and exhaustive mania."
SECTION 4. New statutory material is underscored.
SECTION 5. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.
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INTRODUCED BY: |
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Report Title:
Excited Delirium; Medical Diagnosis; Cause of Death; Incident Report; Law Enforcement Officers; Hawaii Rules of Evidence
Description:
Prohibits excited delirium from being recognized as a valid medical diagnosis or cause of death in the State. Prohibits a local health officer or local agent of the Department of Health from stating on a certificate of death or in any report that the cause of death was excited delirium. Prohibits law enforcement officers from using the term excited delirium to describe an individual in an incident report. Establishes a new Hawaii Rule of Evidence that deems evidence that a person experienced or suffered an excited delirium inadmissible in a civil action.
The summary description
of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is
not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.
