STAND. COM. REP. NO. 145

                                 Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                   , 1999

                                 RE: H.B. No. 259
                                     H.D. 1




Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say
Speaker, House of Representatives
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 1999
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committees on Human Services and Housing and Health, to
which was referred H.B. No. 259 entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EARLY CHILDHOOD ASSESSMENTS,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to assure that all children are
safe, healthy, and ready to succeed in school by requiring
parents and guardians to take their three-year-old children to
the nearest public elementary school to assess whether their
psychological and physiological development to date has been
satisfactory.

     The Departments of Health, Human Services, and Education;
the Good Beginnings Alliance; and the Hawaii Chapter of the
American Physical Therapy Association submitted testimony in
support of the intent of this measure.  The Hawaii Association
for the Education of Young Children submitted comments.

     Your Committees believe that similar to social policy
mandating car seats for children under four or requiring
immunizations as a prerequisite for entry to school, this measure
protects the welfare of children by ensuring the early detection
of mental and physical health problems and improving child
outcomes.

     Your Committees believe that the burden for screening and
assessment should be placed on parents, and not on executive
agencies.  Therefore, your Committees have amended this measure
by deleting its substance and replacing its contents with a bill
that would:

 
                                 STAND. COM. REP. NO. 145
                                 Page 2

 

     (1)  Require parents or guardians of a child to have their
          child screened for psychological or physiological
          development ninety days prior to or following the
          child's third birthday;

     (2)  Require certification screening by the Departments of
          Health, Education, and Human Services; the child's
          pediatrician; or primary health care provider;

     (3)  Require the departments, physicians, or providers
          conducting the screening to adhere to certain
          requirements to be developed before July 1, 2000;

     (4)  Charge the Departments of Health, Education, and Human
          Services, in conjunction with the American Academy of
          Pediatrics, to plan and develop standardized screening
          and a referral protocol;

     (5)  Appropriate a blank amount for the Department of Health
          to develop the standardized screening and referral
          protocol, effective July 1, 1999; and

     (6)  Make technical, nonsubstantive amendments for purposes
          of clarity and style.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your
Committees on Human Services and Housing and Health that are
attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the
intent and purpose of H.B. No. 259, as amended herein, and
recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto
as H.B. No. 259, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on
Education.

                                   Respectfully submitted on
                                   behalf of the members of the
                                   Committees on Human Services
                                   and Housing and Health,

                                   
                                   
                                   
                                   
______________________________     ______________________________
ALEXANDER SANTIAGO, Chair          DENNIS ARAKAKI, Chair