STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2516

                                   Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                     , 2000

                                   RE:  S.B. No. 2448
                                        S.D. 2




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

Sir:

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B.
No. 2448, S.D. 1, entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO AUTISM,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to establish the Hawaii Autism
Center for Excellence within the University of Hawaii School of
Medicine.

     In particular, this bill establishes the center as a central
clinical and academic resource for state-of-the-art autism and
autism spectrum disorder diagnostic assessment and evaluation, as
well as therapeutic and educational interventions, consultation,
training, and applied clinical research.  The center is to
perform such activities as applying for federal funding and
charitable foundation grants, serving persons with autism and
autism spectrum disorder ranging from infants to adults
statewide, and seeking to attain national recognition as a pre-
eminent Pacific institution for autism spectrum disorder multi-
disciplinary research.

     Your Committee finds that autism is a complex developmental
disability typically appearing in the first three years of life
as a result of a neurological disorder that affects the
functioning of the brain.  The majority of children with autism
or autism spectrum disorder will not achieve independence as

 
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adults and must be cared for by their families or institutions
during their lifetime.  Your Committee finds that there is a need
to ensure sufficient funding for multi-disciplinary applied
clinical research to improve treatment for autism, and finds that
this bill will assist in improving diagnostic assessment and
evaluation and more timely and effective interventions for
persons with an autism spectrum disorder.

     Your Committee has amended this bill to make a technical,
nonsubstantive change for the purposes of clarity and
consistency.

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

                                 Respectfully submitted on behalf
                                 of the members of the Committee
                                 on Ways and Means,



                                 ________________________________
                                 CAROL FUKUNAGA, Co-Chair



                                 ________________________________
                                 ANDREW LEVIN, Co-Chair

 
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