STAND. COM. REP. NO. 987

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 1459

       S.D. 1

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. 1459 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT MAKING AN EMERGENCY APPROPRIATION TO THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH FOR EARLY INTERVENTION SERVICES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to make an emergency appropriation to the Department of Health for early intervention services for children age zero to three years with a developmental delay or biological or environmental risk.

     The Department of Health, State Council on Developmental Disabilities, Center on Disability Studies, and the Hawaii Chapter, American Physical Therapy Association submitted comments in support of this measure.

     Your Committee finds that due to an increased number of children referred for early intervention services, the Department of Health has had to carry out its federal and state obligations by expanding its purchase-of-service programs, resulting in increased costs to evaluate and serve additional children as required.

     Your Committee has amended this measure to:

     (1)  Change the amount of the appropriation to $4,419,644; and

     (2)  Comply with the requirements of section 9 of article VII of the Constitution of the State of Hawaii, by inserting a new section 5 which states that the appropriation in this bill will cause the general fund expenditure ceiling to be exceeded by $4,419,644, or an additional 0.082 per cent.  As required by section 37-93, Hawaii Revised Statutes, the new section of this Act also sets forth the reasons for exceeding the general fund expenditure ceiling for fiscal year 2006-2007.

     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. 1459, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1459, S.D. 1.

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

____________________________

ROSALYN H. BAKER, Chair