Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2003

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Consumer Protection and Commerce, to which was referred H.B. No. 548, H.D. 1, entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to extend, to June 30, 2006, the sunset date of the organ and tissue education fee and the Hawaii Organ and Tissue Education Special Fund (Special Fund) that were enacted in Act 88, Session Laws of Hawaii 1999 (Act 88).

Testimony in support of this bill was submitted by the National Kidney Foundation of Hawaii, Hawaii Coalition on Donation, Transplant Association of Hawaii, Organ Donor Center of Hawaii, and several interested individuals. A concerned citizen opposed this bill.

Your Committee is aware of a continual need for organ donation in this state, and recognizes that monies from the Special Fund support vital programs that promote education and public awareness of organ donation. This bill permits the continuation of the Special Fund until June 30, 2006.

Your Committee also understands that concerned citizens may be interested in an accounting of the monies donated to the Special Fund. Accordingly, your Committee has added an amendment to the reporting provisions of Act 88 to require that the Department of Health, with the assistance of the Organ Donor Center of Hawaii, submit a report accounting for deposits and disbursements of the Special Fund to the 2004, 2005, and 2006 Legislatures.

This bill has also been amended by changing its effective date to June 29, 2003, to ensure that the amendments in this bill take effect prior to the original June 30, 2003, repeal date of Act 88.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Consumer Protection and Commerce that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 548, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to the Committee on Judiciary in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 548, H.D. 2.