Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2005

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Health, to which was referred S.B. No. 1535 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to make an appropriation for a grant to the Oral Health Institute of the Pacific for continued operations of dental clinics and services on the island of Maui.

The State Planning Council on Developmental Disabilities, and eight individuals submitted testimony in support of this measure. The Department of Health and the Maui County Dental Society submitted comments.

Your Committee finds that the Oral Health Institute of the Pacific provides increased access to oral health services by providing clinical dental services and case management to special needs patients, and under-served children and adults. These underserved children and adults are Medicaid, QUEST, or SCHIP recipients, or are uninsured and have not had access to oral health services in many years. This measure is necessary to provide much needed dental services that are not being provided in the private sector to these populations on Maui.

Upon further consideration, your Committee has amended this measure by redrafting the findings section and adding a purpose section to specify that the purpose of the measure is to make an appropriation to the Oral Health Institute of the Pacific so that it can continue to provide much needed dental services for QUEST, SCHIP, and Medicaid recipients, as well as the uninsured, who cannot obtain dental services from the private sector on Maui.

Your Committee also has amended this measure by making technical, non-substantive amendments for clarity and style.

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 S.B. No. 1535, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1535, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.