Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2003

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Health, to which was referred H.B. No. 1430 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to appropriate funds to the Department of Health (DOH) to hire licensed dental hygienists to provide oral health services to underserved children.

Several individuals submitted testimony in support of this measure. DOH, Coalition for a Tobacco Free Hawaii, American Lung Association, and a concerned citizen submitted comments.

Your Committee finds that currently, there are not enough dental hygienists to provide services to each public school. The hygienists work in the areas with the greatest need. There are 10 hygienists on Oahu, and they may fly out to the neighbor islands to provide services.

Your Committee notes that funds were appropriated to DOH in the Regular Session of 2002 for the purpose of providing dental services to underserved children. However, the funds were never released from the Department of Budget and Finance. It is your Committee's intent for those funds to be released.

Your Committee has amended this bill 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. 1430, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1430, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.