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 S.B. No. 594, S.D. 1, entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to take steps to more effectively combat neurotrauma in Hawaii by establishing a neurotrauma special fund and commission.

The Department of Education, the Disability and Communications Access Board, the Keiki Injury Prevention Coalition, the Brain Injury Association of Hawaii, various advocates of brain injury patients, and concerned citizens testified in support of this measure.

The Department of Health supported the measure provided it has no adverse impact on the priorities they have indicated in their executive biennium budget request.

Your Committee recognizes that an increasing segment of the population experiences neurotrauma every year and that presently, there is a lack of coordinated and affordable rehabilitative services for the neurologically injured population in Hawaii. As a result, most of these survivors do not get proper treatment and services, depend on welfare and other governmental assistance, or, even worse, do not get treatment at all.

Your Committee also recognizes that neurotrauma has a profound impact on the daily lives of these survivors and that creating a special fund and commission for neurotrauma survivors will result in programs that will dramatically improve the neurotrauma survivor's ability to participate as a productive member of the community and to improve their quality of life. Furthermore, creation of this special fund and commission will result in community education about neurotrauma, research and evaluation activities, the creation of a neurotrauma registry, and long-term support services.

Moreover, it was reported to your Committee that the Department of Health estimates that it would collect around $650,000 toward the neurotrauma special fund using roughly 2% of these funds for administrative costs which may be inadequate for these purposes. However, your Committee would like to request that the Department of Health provide the exact numbers to this Committee as well as to the Committees on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs and Finance as it moves through the Legislative process.

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 S.B. No. 594, S.D. 1, and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs.