Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2001

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Education and Health and Human Services, to which was referred H.B. No. 98, H.D. 1, entitled:

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to establish comprehensive school health projects that promote the healthy development of all students and a comprehensive school health program, and convene a joint planning committee to coordinate a phased implementation of the program.

Comments were submitted to your Committees by the Department of Education and Office of Information Practices.

Your Committees find that children spend much of their young lives at school, and that many of them are low-income and uninsured. For these reasons, it makes sense that the Department of Education should establish a comprehensive school health program to ensure that all students receive the basic health care that they need. After all, children can neither learn well nor develop into healthy adults if they are not in optimum physical condition.

Your Committees further find that, while this proposed program would be a multi-agency collaboration, it is the intent of your Committees that the Department of Education take the lead role in planning, implementation, and coordination. Your Committees would like to note also that there are provisions within the measure elaborating a timeline for the implementation of, and programmatic and financial reporting by, this program.

Your Committees have amended the measure by:

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Education and Health and Human Services that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 98, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 98, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.