Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2004

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 3156 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

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 finds that paramedics require ongoing training that is often available exclusively on Oahu, making it less accessible to paramedics on Maui, Kauai, and Hawaii due to the additional time, cost, and personal hardship involved. This measure brings critical training infrastructure to the other islands, thereby maintaining and boosting retention rates of paramedics throughout the State.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

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