Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2004

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Health, to which was referred H.B. No. 2814 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to protect the residents of Kalaupapa Settlement, operated by the State, by requiring the Department of Health (DOH) to:

The State Auditor, Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Kalaupapa Patients' Advisory Council, and numerous concerned individuals testified in support of this measure. DOH supported the measure with reservations.

Your Committee recognizes that many years ago, Hansen's disease patients were forced into exile at Kalaupapa Settlement to be isolated from society. While the patients are now free to come and go as they please, the State has acknowledged the injustice that occurred and has pledged that the remaining patients may live out their lives at Kalaupapa, and has committed to caring for them.

In the past decade, there have been numerous allegations of excessive or inappropriate expenditures and preferential treatment toward the workers. The State Auditor conducted an audit in 2003 which confirmed many of the allegations. There are approximately 39 patients living in Kalaupapa, most of whom are elderly. The patients are living out the final years of their lives with the burden of poor administration of Kalaupapa Settlement.

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. 2814, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2814, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.