Senate Bill 1792 Not On Governor’s Veto List
HONOLULU – A bill widely thought to be on Governor Linda Lingle’s potential veto list has been spared and is on its way to becoming law.Governor Lingle did not veto Senate Bill (SB) 1792, which authorizes the establishment of regional system boards under the Hawaii Health Systems Corporation (HHSC). The Hawaii State Constitution states that any bills that the Governor does not veto or sign by July 10 will automatically become law on July 11.
Senator Shan S. Tsutsui was “very pleased with the outcome of the bill.” In reference to the Governor’s actions not to veto the bill, Senator Tsutsui said, “I believe the Governor understood that this bill will greatly improve the accountability, authority, efficiency, and transparency for health care in Hawaii.” Originally introduced by Senator Tsutsui and fellow Maui Senators’ Baker and English, SB 1792 changed the governance of the state’s community hospitals by forming a new HHSC board as well as five regional boards empowered to oversee the finances and operation of the state’s 13 community hospitals.
The success of the bill passing the legislature and the Governor have not been without controversy. Maui Memorial Medical Center Chief Executive Officer Wesley Lo, who was one of the main proponents of the bill, testified on opposing sides against his boss, Chief Executive Officer Tom Driskill of the HHSC. While both agreed that they were seeking improvements in the state’s health care system, they differed on how it should be done. At the end of the legislative session and after many drafts, Driskill and other HHSC administrators withdrew their opposition of the bill. The passage of SB 1792 will have a significant affect on Maui Memorial because it will establish the hospital as a semiautonomous agency, freed from the oversight of the HHSC system.
State Senator Shan S. Tsutsui (D) represents the 4th Senatorial District (Wailuku, Waihe’e, Kahului, Pa’ia, and Lower Pa’ia) on the Island of Maui and serves as the Majority Caucus Leader.