STAND. COM. REP. NO. 407

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 1463

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Health, to which was referred S.B. No. 1463 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT MAKING AN EMERGENCY APPROPRIATION TO THE HAWAII HEALTH SYSTEMS CORPORATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this emergency measure is to increase the expenditure ceiling of the Health Systems Special Fund.

     Specifically, this measure makes an emergency appropriation of $41,000,000, for fiscal year 2006-2007, to cover the increasing costs of providing quality health care, including:

     (1)  Staff hired for the conversion of Kula, Kale Ho‘ola Hamakua, and Samuel Mahelona Memorial Medical Hospitals to critical access hospital status;

     (2)  Hospitalist programs at Hilo Medical Center, Maui Memorial Medical Center, and Kona Community Hospital;

     (3)  The operation of the medical/surgical wing at Maui Memorial Medical Center;

     (4)  The staffing of the imaging departments; and

     (5)  To provide physicians for specialty coverage.

     Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by Hawaii Health Systems Corporation and People United to Support a Second Hospital.

     Your Committee finds that this measure is necessary to ensure Hawaii Health Systems Corporation will be able to continue providing quality health services to Hawaii residents throughout the remainder of this fiscal year, the cost of which has exceeded the current fiscal year budget as anticipated.

     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 S.B. No. 1463 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

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

____________________________

DAVID Y. IGE, Chair