Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2004

State of Hawaii

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2004

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Conference on the disagreeing vote of the Senate to the amendments proposed by the House of Representatives in S.B. No. 3156, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, entitled:

having met, and after full and free discussion, has agreed to recommend and does recommend to the respective Houses the final passage of this bill in an amended form.

The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funds for the professional development and training of Hawaii's paramedics.

Specifically, funding would be used toward a development and training instructor for Kauai, a video conference system to connect Kauai, Maui, and Hawaii with emergency medical services instruction on Oahu, and paramedic training equipment for Kauai, Maui, and Hawaii.

Your Committee on Conference has amended this measure by deleting its contents and replacing it with language that clarifies state immunity for the discretionary function of providing emergency aeromedical services. Specifically, this measure provides that the State shall not be liable for claims based on the failure to establish or continue emergency aeromedical services in every county of the State.

Your Committee on Conference notes that both the Senate President and House Speaker waived conference rule 1a to allow your Committee to consider language not originally part of this measure. This measure was used as a vehicle to address the Governor's concern regarding liability arising from the enactment of Senate Bill 745 as Act 2, Session Laws of Hawaii, Special Session, 2003.

The contents of the original version of this measure are addressed in Senate Bill 2690 SD2 HD2, whereby funds generated from a new emergency medical services special fund would support, among other items, a development and training instructor for Kauai, a video conference system to connect Kauai, Maui, and Hawaii with EMS instruction on Oahu, and for paramedic training equipment for Kauai, Maui, and Hawaii.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the managers of your Committee on Conference that is attached to this report, your Committee on Conference is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 3156, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Final Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 3156, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, C.D. 1.