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 S.B. No. 1519, S.D. 1, entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to establish a dedicated source of funding for the operating expenditures of community health centers by:

The Hawaii Primary Care Association and Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center testified in support of this bill. DOH and the Department of Budget and Finance opposed this bill.

Your Committee finds that community health centers statewide, located mostly in rural areas, are in dire need of financial assistance if they are to continue to provide adequate services to accommodate patients. These centers are particularly crucial in providing services to the uninsured, whose numbers are increasing.

Your Committee strongly supports community health centers and believes that more funding should be provided to them. However, your Committee is hopeful that the social and economic situation will eventually improve and would not like to have these centers depend on tobacco settlement funds as a dedicated source of funding. Your Committee does believe, however, that this constitutes an emergency situation that justifies a one-time appropriation from the Reserve Fund.

Accordingly, 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 S.B. No. 1519, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1519, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.