CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REPORT NO.97

                            Honolulu, Hawaii
                                            , 2000

                            RE:   S.B. No. 2448
                                  S.D. 2
                                  H.D. 2
                                  C.D. 1




Honorable Norman Mizuguchi
President of the Senate
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 2000
State of Hawaii

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say
Speaker, House of Representatives
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 2000
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Conference on the disagreeing vote of the
Senate to the amendments proposed by the House of Representatives
in S.B. No. 2448, S.D. 2, H.D. 2, entitled:  

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO AUTISM," 

having met, and after full and free discussion, has agreed to
recommend and does recommend to the respective Houses the final
passage of this bill in an amended form.

     The purpose of this measure is to establish the Hawaii
Autism Center for Excellence within the University of Hawaii at
Manoa (UHM).

     Autism causes severe impairments in language and
communication, and generally manifests itself in young children
in the first two years of life, causing devastation that lasts a
lifetime due to the emotional and financial distress that
families experience.  The prevalence of autism is more common
than popularly thought.  The federal Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention estimates that one in five hundred individuals in
the State are affected by autism.

 
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     There has been little biomedical research into autism, in
spite of the fact that scientists consider autism to be one of
the most congenital of all developmental disorders and most
likely to yield to the latest scientific advancements in genetics
and neurology.  Several other states have established autism
research centers.  This measure establishes a world-class autism
research center at the UHM.

     Your Committee on Conference has amended this measure by
deleting the appropriation and changing the effective date from
July 1, 2000, to upon approval.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the managers of your
Committee on Conference that is attached to this report, your
Committee on Conference is in accord with the intent and purpose
of S.B. No. 2448, S.D. 2, H.D. 2, as amended herein, and
recommends that it pass Final Reading in the form attached hereto
as S.B. No. 2448, S.D. 2, H.D. 2, C.D. 1.

                                   Respectfully submitted on
                                   behalf of the managers:

  ON THE PART OF THE HOUSE           ON THE PART OF THE SENATE



_____________________________     _______________________________
Rep. ALEX SANTIAGO                Sen. SUZANNE CHUN OAKLAND
Co-Chair                          Co-Chair



_____________________________     _______________________________
Rep. BRIAN Y. YAMANE              Sen. DAVID Y. IGE
Co-Chair                          Co-Chair



                                  ______________________________ 
                                  Sen. CAROL FUKUNAGA
                                  Co-Chair

 
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