Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2001

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Health, to which was referred H.B. No. 664 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to establish:

The Department of Health and the March of Dimes submitted testimony in support of this measure. Members of the Hawaii Birth Defects Program Advisory Committee supported the measure but preferred a funding mechanism that assured funding for the program.

Kaiser Permanente supported the intent of the measure but felt that patient confidentiality could be compromised and requested provisions to address this concern. The Christian Science Committee on Publication also had concerns about the bill especially since there was no clause of religious accommodation within the measure.

Your Committee realizes that the Hawaii Birth Defects Program (HBDP), an active surveillance system, is a core public health function and provides information to service the families affected each year by birth defects in our state. Birth defects are the number one cause of infant mortality in Hawaii. Further, 20 percent of all pregnancies result in spontaneous miscarriage and about 5 percent of babies are born with a recognizable abnormality. Through the efforts of HBDP encouragement of healthy lifestyles and relevant health care, especially in needy areas, is possible.

Although HBDP has been providing valuable data to the healthcare community for the last 12 years, your Committee recognizes that it has done so under a patchwork of funding with its major source coming from a federal grant from the Center for Disease Control. This grant is unlikely to be renewed resulting in the discontinuation of this vital program.

Noting that this program is valuable to the well being of the citizens of our state and taking into consideration the concerns expressed by the community, your Committee has amended this measure by:

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 664, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 664, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.