Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2006

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Education and Military Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 2072 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funds to establish and fill 16.5 permanent FTE athletic health care trainer positions in the public schools that would be assigned and filled based upon criteria established by the Department of Education.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Education, Hawaii State Teachers Association, Hawaii Government Employees Association, the Athletic Directors and Coaches Association, and two individuals.

Your Committee finds that additional athletic health care trainers are necessary to provide quality care for student athletes. However, an increase in the number of teams and participants in multiple athletic venues has shifted the focus of care from conditioning, injury prevention, and rehabilitative programs to injury management. Additional qualified athletic health care trainers are necessary to adequately address this increased demand, and these positions should be made permanent and classified within the appropriate collective bargaining unit.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Education and Military Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2072 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.