RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, vitiligo is a skin condition, the cause of which is not known, in which patches of skin lose their pigmentation when the pigment-producing cells, or melanocytes, are attacked and destroyed, affecting the skin and leaving white patches; and

WHEREAS, it is believed that vitiligo is an autoimmune disorder in which white blood cells direct the destruction of the melanocytes, and it is also currently thought that people with vitiligo are prone to other autoimmune diseases; and

WHEREAS, this disease cuts across all ethnic origins and both sexes and affects an estimated one percent of the world's population; and

WHEREAS, the lack of pigmentation in vitiligo-affected areas of the skin causes individuals afflicted with the disease to be sensitive to ultraviolet rays and though a number of treatments are currently available, the condition cannot be cured at present; and

WHEREAS, individuals with vitiligo need to protect their skin and especially areas of depigmentation against excessive sun exposure by wearing protective clothing, applying sunscreen daily, and avoiding prolonged sun exposure; and

WHEREAS, the simple, everyday task of driving long distances which many take for granted as a harmless part of life, may subject individuals with vitiligo to potentially damaging sun exposure; and

WHEREAS, this health hazard could be mitigated by the use of appropriately tinted automobile windows; and

WHEREAS, section 291-21.5, Hawaii Revised Statutes (HRS), prohibits the use of window tinting on automobiles darker than that specified in the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards 205; and

WHEREAS, current allowed tinting may not provide adequate protection for those individuals with vitiligo; and

WHEREAS, providing exceptions to this statute would benefit individuals with vitiligo without compromising vehicular safety or the conduct of traffic law enforcement; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2006, the Senate concurring, that the Department of Health (DOH) is requested to determine the amount of motor vehicle sun screening required to protect individuals with vitiligo while driving; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that DOH provide recommendations for legislation proposing exceptions to section 291-21.5, HRS, which would help drivers with vitiligo while balancing the State's interest in safety; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that DOH submit its findings to the Legislature no later than 20 days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2007; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a certified copy of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Health.

Report Title:

Drivers with Vitiligo