HB 823 Summary

• Requires the Department of Corrections director to report deaths of correctional facility employees and Hawaii inmates to the governor within 48 hours, expanding reporting to include deaths "while on duty" in addition to on-site deaths.

• Expands the definition of inmate deaths requiring reporting to include those under the care and custody of state or contracted correctional facilities and their agents, not just those incarcerated in facilities.

• Mandates the department post a copy of initial death reports on its public website within seven days of submission to the governor.

• Requires reporting of the official cause of death and any indication of sexual assault when the cause is determined, along with the clinical mortality review and corrective actions.

• Makes information about official cause of death and sexual assault indications publicly accessible unless protected by federal or state law or if disclosure would materially impair an ongoing criminal investigation.