STAND. COM. REP. NO. 766

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 1282

       S.D. 2

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 1282, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to address the critical shortage of mobile intensive care technicians and paramedics in Hawaii by:

     (1)  Establishing the emergency medical technician training stipend program; and

     (2)  Appropriating $300,000 for stipends for ten students to attend a state-qualified mobile intensive care technician program.

     Comments in support of the measure were received from American Medical Response, Kauai County Subarea Health Planning Council, a Maui EMS Advisory Committee facilitator, and eight concerned individuals.

     Your Committee finds that the critical shortage of mobile intensive care technicians and paramedics will be even more acute, as an estimated two hundred fifty workers will be needed to fully staff Hawaii's emergency medical system in the next five years.

Your Committee further finds that the lack of training and training resources is especially critical on the neighbor islands.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by changing the amount appropriated to an unspecified sum to facilitate further discussion.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1282, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1282, S.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

____________________________

ROSALYN H. BAKER, Chair