Bill
SB 1154
The bill requires JABSOM to build and run a CLIA-compliant local lab to test for diseases and environmental toxins, with 10-day reporting and potential state or federal funding.
Status: Introduced Feb 6, 2025; listed as Rule 3‑9(a) / Re‑referred to Assignments (most recent procedural note in packet).
Effective date stated in the bill: July 1, 2025.
Note: The document packet contains text from multiple jurisdictions. This summary focuses on the substantive measure that directs the University of Hawaiʻi John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM) to establish a local disease and environmental toxins testing laboratory (the primary substantive proposal in the packet and sponsored by Rhoads, Gabbard, Aquino).
Purpose
- Require the University of Hawaiʻi John A. Burns School of Medicine to construct, establish, and operate a certified laboratory to perform disease testing, environmental toxins analyses (air, water, soil, biological specimens), and other high‑complexity testing to improve turnaround time, local capacity, emergency response, and public access to results.
Key provisions
- Establishment and operation: JABSOM must establish and operate a laboratory capable of:
- Testing for diseases;
- Testing for toxins in air, water, soil, biological and other specimens; and
- Conducting other high‑complexity testing.
- Regulatory standards: The laboratory must comply with applicable Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 (CLIA) standards (42 U.S.C. §263a).
- Public access and turnaround: The lab must receive samples submitted by any person who reasonably believes a sample contains disease or environmental toxins and must provide a complete report of analysis no later than 10 days after receipt of each submission.
- Funding authority:
- JABSOM may obtain and expend federal funds for construction and operation.
- If JABSOM cannot obtain firm federal financing commitments within 9 months of the act’s effective date, it must proceed expeditiously to construct and begin initial operations using state funds appropriated by the act.
- The director of finance is authorized to issue general obligation bonds in a sum “$ or so much thereof as may be necessary” and the same sum is appropriated for FY 2025–2026 (the bill text leaves the dollar amount blank).
- Reporting and appropriation rules:
- JABSOM must report progress to the Legislature no later than 30 days before the 2026 regular session.
- Appropriation for capital improvements shall not lapse at the end of the fiscal biennium; unencumbered funds remaining as of June 30, 2028, shall lapse on that date.
Who would be affected
- University of Hawaiʻi John A. Burns School of Medicine: required to build and operate the lab and comply with CLIA.
- General public and residents: may submit samples and receive lab results locally, with faster turnaround.
- State and local public‑health agencies: gain local testing capacity and quicker data for incident response.
- Researchers, educational institutions, and students: gain research and training opportunities.
- State finances: potential issuance of general obligation bonds and use of appropriated state funds (amount unspecified in text); potential federal funding if secured.
Potential impacts and considerations
- Public health: Faster local testing could improve emergency response and reduce delays seen when samples are shipped to the mainland.
- Costs and fiscal exposure: The bill contemplates state debt (GO bonds) and/or use of state appropriations if federal funding is not secured; the bill as drafted omits a specific bond amount, which would be required later.
- Operational requirements: CLIA compliance and timely reporting create operational obligations that require appropriate staffing, equipment, and ongoing operating funds.
- Transparency and access: A statutory 10‑day reporting requirement aims to increase public access and confidence in testing results.
Procedural/timeline notes
- Effective date in the bill: July 1, 2025.
- JABSOM must seek federal funding; if no firm federal commitment within 9 months of effect, proceed with state funds.
- Progress report due to the Legislature 30 days before the 2026 regular session.
- Appropriation protections expire for unencumbered funds on June 30, 2028.
If you want, I can:
- Extract and summarize the specific legislative history and committee actions for this bill as recorded in the mixed packet; or
- Draft an executive‑style fiscal note identifying likely cost drivers and funding scenarios (federal grant vs. state bond).
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
Sign in to ask a question.
