Bill Text: HI SCR28 | 2018 | Regular Session | Introduced

Hawaii Senate Concurrent Resolution 28 (Prior Session Legislation)

Introduced

Bill Title: Requesting The Department Of Health And Department Of Human Services To Establish A Working Group To Provide Clarification And Oversight Of The Role Of Service Animals.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 22-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2018-02-06 - Referred to CPH/HMS. [SCR28 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2018-SCR28-Introduced.html

THE SENATE	S.C.R. NO.	28
TWENTY-NINTH LEGISLATURE, 2018
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

requesting the department of health and department of human services to establish a working group to provide clarification and oversight of the role of service animals.

WHEREAS, service animals play an important role in caring for disabled residents of the State; and

WHEREAS, there are many competing and overlapping designations and definitions of animals that provide services for their owners, such as "service animal", "comfort animal", "assistance animal", and "emotional support animal"; and

WHEREAS, service animals are often given different names and roles depending on the agency, including the Department of Justice, Hawaii Civil Rights Commission, and state Department of Health; and

WHEREAS, there is no state-wide definition used in all circumstances for service animals or state certification of service animals; and

WHEREAS, some pets may be passed off fraudulently as service animals, diminishing the respect given to service animals who have received years of professional training; and

WHEREAS, vests falsely identifying animals as service animals are readily available; and

WHEREAS, there is confusion among business owners and service providers as to which animals are required to access their premises; and

WHEREAS, the confusion created by unclear terminology and lack of certification harms local business owners and residents with disabilities; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-ninth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2018, the House of Representatives concurring, that the department of health and department of human services are requested to establish a working group on service animals; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the working group is requested to:

(1) Examine existing state and federal definitions of "service animal" and related designations;

(2) Discuss how to better oversee and regulate service animals; and

(3) Report its findings and recommendations to the Legislature, including any proposed legislation, no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the 2019 legislative session; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Health and the Director of Human Services.