STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1679

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2007

RE:   H.C.R. No. 106

      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 Committees on Education and Health, to which was referred H.C.R. No. 106 entitled:

"HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TO REPORT ON THE SHORT- AND LONG-TERM COSTS OF NOT CONDUCTING THE SYSTEMATIC HEARING AND VISION PROGRAM, AND REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TO DEVELOP AN ACTION PLAN TO DISSEMINATE INFORMATION TO PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES ON ACCESS TO COMPREHENSIVE VISION AND HEARING EXAMINATIONS,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this concurrent resolution is to request that the Department of Health report on the short- and long-term costs of not conducting the systematic hearing and vision program.

     This measure also requires the Department of Education and Department of Health to develop an action plan to disseminate information to public school students and their families on access to comprehensive vision and hearing examinations.

     The Department of Health offered recommendations and the Hawaii State Teacher's Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Hawaii Optometric Association, the Center on Disability Studies, the Eye Care Associates of Hawaii, and Family Voices of Hawaii testified in support of this measure. The Department of Education deferred to the recommendations of the Department of Health.

     Your Committees have amended this measure by:

(1) deleting the request for the Department of Health to report on short-and long-term costs of not conducting the systematic hearing and vision program; and

(2) amending the title to read:

     "REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TO DEVELOP AN ACTION PLAN TO DISSEMINATE INFORMATION      TO PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES ON ACCESS TO   COMPREHENSIVE VISION AND HEARING EXAMINATIONS."

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Education and Health that are attached to this report, your Committees concur with the intent and purpose of H.C.R. No. 106, as amended herein, and recommend its adoption in the form attached hereto as H.C.R. No. 106, H.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Education and Health,

____________________________ JOSHUA B. GREEN, M.D., Chair

____________________________ ROY TAKUMI, Chair