Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2001

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Health and Human Services, to which was referred S.B. No. 598 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to require the department of health to establish a statewide Hawaii birth defects program.

Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the department of health, Hawaii Birth Defects Program, March of Dimes, and a private citizen. Testimony in opposition to this measure, as drafted, was submitted by Kaiser Permanente.

Your Committee finds that birth defects occur in five per cent of all births in Hawaii. Your Committee further finds that birth defects are the leading cause of infant mortality and contributes substantially to childhood morbidity and long-term disability. Your Committee finds that there is a need to establish a statewide Hawaii birth defects program.

Your Committee has amended this measure by removing it's substance and inserting conceptually equal language from S.B. No. 1139. Your Committee further amended this measure by deleting provisions relating to chapter 323C, Hawaii Revised Statutes, relating to privacy of medical information, and inserting language similar to section 324-22, Hawaii Revised Statutes. Your Committee also added language authorizing the department of health to adopt rules regarding the setting of fees.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health and Human Services that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 598, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 598, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.