STAND

STAND. COM. REP. NO. 586

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2005

RE: H.B. No. 1261

H.D. 1

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2005

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Health, to which was referred H.B. No. 1261 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HEPATITIS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to assist persons with viral hepatitis.

Specifically, this bill appropriates an unspecified amount in fiscal years 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 for one full-time equivalent (1.00 FTE) case manager to facilitate referral to and acceptance of individuals with viral hepatitis for medical coverage, housing, and ongoing counseling and to collect data on the population served.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this bill from the National Association of Hepatitis Task Forces, Hepatitis Hale Treatment and Support Program, Life Foundation, American Liver Foundation, Hawaii chapter, and two individuals. Testimony in opposition was received from the Department of Health.

Your Committee believes that case management need not be carried out by Department of Health personnel, involving the creation of a new position. Accordingly, your Committee has amended this bill by:

(1) Eliminating reference to a "full time equivalent (1.00 FTE)" position of case manager on p. 1, line 5;

(2) Allowing the Department of Health to contract with a private entity to provide the case management services;

(3) Requiring the Department of Health to report on the project twenty days prior to the convening of the regular session of 2007; and

(4) Changing the appropriation from an unspecified amount to $1 to facilitate further discussions.

Your Committee respectfully recommends to your Committee on Finance an amount of $100,000 as a reasonable appropriation for the purposes of addressing this public health problem.

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. 1261, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1261, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Health,

		____________________________ DENNIS A. ARAKAKI, Chair