Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2003

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 963 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funding to allow the Department of Health to continue the operation of a hospital-based twenty-four hour poison center.

Your Committee finds that the Hawaii Poison Center has been a privately administered and underwritten program that serves the entire community. This poison prevention program reduces the risk of tragic accident, especially to vulnerable children, from accidental poisoning. In addition to answering over twelve thousand calls from the public on its hotline annually, the Center also provides consultation to numerous professional caregivers and promotes public education programs.

Your Committee further finds that the Hawaii Poison Center's future is in jeopardy, due to the financial difficulties that its private supporters now find themselves in.

Your Committee has amended this measure by deleting the specific amount appropriated to facilitate continuing discussion on this important matter.

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. 963, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 963, S.D. 1.