The bill would allow terminally ill individuals to obtain a doctor's prescription for medication to hasten their death so long as two physicians agree the patient has no more than six months to live and is mentally competent.

The measure also would require a patient seeking life-ending medical aid to undergo a mental health evaluation, to present two separate requests to an attending physician and for two witnesses to attest to the patient's wish to die.

While a doctor could dispense the medication, patients would be required to take it on their own.

The bill is due to be automatically enacted on April 17 unless Governor David Ige signs it into law before then or vetoes it.

The advocacy group Compassion and Choices, which backed and lobbied for the measure, said Ige, a Democrat, is expected to sign the bill.