STAND. COM. REP. NO. 433

                                   Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                     , 1999

                                   RE:  S.B. No. 178
                                        




Honorable Norman Mizuguchi
President of the Senate
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 1999
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Health and Human Services, to which was
referred S.B. No. 178 entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT MAKING AN APPROPRIATION FOR HEALTHY
     START,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to make an appropriation for
the Healthy Start program.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure
from the Department of Health (DOH), PACT, American Academy of
Pediatrics, Hawaii Family Support Center (Healthy Start), The
Salvation Army Family Treatment Services, American Physical
Therapy Association, and a private citizen.

     Your Committee finds that child abuse and neglect causes
mental health problems in children, which is one of the most
critical issues for the State to address.  Cases of child abuse
have escalated in numbers and severity.  Your Committee believes
that Healthy Start has demonstrated its success in preventing
child abuse and neglect through early intervention and family
support such as education and counselling.

     This measure provides funds for current services and to
expand services of the Healthy Start program, a purchase of
service by the DOH.  The Felix Consent Decree requires that
Healthy Start programs have the capacity to conduct universal
screening of all children by the end of the year 2000, but does

 
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                                   STAND. COM. REP. NO. 433
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not require the provision of services to families determined to
be at risk.  This requires that Healthy Start programs are
adequately funded for this purpose.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Health and Human Services that is attached to this
report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose
of S.B. No. 178 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be
referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

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



                                   ______________________________
                                   SUZANNE CHUN OAKLAND, Chair

 
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