STAND. COM. REP. NO.  727

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2007

RE:   H.B. No. 1467

      H.D. 1

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Health, to which was referred H.B. No. 1467 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO A TWO-YEAR HEPATITIS C DEMONSTRATION PROJECT,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to prevent Hawaii's high rate of death, liver cancer, and illnesses that requires liver transplants, which stems from the lack of testing, early medical follow-up, treatment, and proactive intervention for chronic viral hepatitis.  Specifically, this bill appropriates $120,000 for fiscal year 2007-2008 and the same sum for fiscal year 2008-2009 to the Department of Health for a two-year Hepatitis C demonstration project to provide testing, case management, treatment, surveillance, research, and outcome assessments at the Waikiki Health Center and the West Hawaii Community Center. 

     The Waikiki Health Center; Hawaii Disability Rights Center; Asian American Network for Cancer Awareness Research and Training; Nursing, Advocates & Mentors, Inc.; United Filipino Council of Hawaii; National Federation of Filipino American Associations, Region 12; Filipino Coalition for Solidarity; Oahu Filipino Community Council; Philippine Nurses Association-Hawaii, and several concerned individuals testified in support of this bill.  The Department of Health opposed this measure.

     Your Committee notes that there is strong support from the Filipino community for finding a way to fund this worthy initiative, which will aid Filipino and Pacific Island immigrants, who are disproportionately affected by Hepatitis C.

     Upon further consideration, your Committee has amended this bill by:

     (1)  Changing the appropriation amount to unspecified sums;

          and

     (2)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for style,

          clarity, and consistency.

     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. 1467, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1467, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

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

____________________________

JOSHUA B. GREEN, M.D., Chair