STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1626

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.R. No. 70

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committees on Health and Education, to which was referred S.R. No. 70 entitled:

"SENATE RESOLUTION ENCOURAGING THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TO DEVELOP A SKIN CANCER EDUCATION AND PREVENTION PROGRAM AND COLLECT DATA ON THE INCIDENCE OF ALL FORMS OF SKIN CANCER AMONG RESIDENTS AND TO WORK WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO IMPLEMENT A CANCER AWARENESS PROGRAM IN ALL PUBLIC SCHOOLS,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to increase public awareness and prevention of skin cancer.

     Specifically, this measure:

     (1)  Encourages the Department of Health to:

          (A)  Develop a program, that includes public service announcements, to educate all residents and visitors on the dangers of skin cancer and the importance of sun protection;

          (B)  Develop a program to encourage residents to receive regular skin cancer screenings from their health care provider; and

          (C)  Examine the benefits of dark automobile window tinting for persons with skin conditions that make them more sensitive to sunlight;

     (2)  Urges the Department of Health to:

          (A)  Work with the Department of Education to develop and implement a program in all public schools to educate Hawaii's students on the dangers of sun exposure and the ways that they may protect themselves against skin cancer; and

          (B)  Begin data collection on the incidence of all forms of skin cancer among residents of Hawaii, including melanoma, basal cell carcinoma, and squamous cell carcinoma; and

     (3)  Encourages the Department of Health to develop a program to encourage residents to receive regular skin cancer screenings from their health care provider.

     Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the University of Hawai‘i and one individual.  Comments supporting the intent of this measure were submitted by the Department of Education and the Department of Health.

     Your Committees find that citizens of and visitors to Hawaii are exposed to high doses of ultraviolet radiation from the sun on a daily basis.  Your Committees further find that ninety per cent of all skin cancer cases are developed from sun exposure that is easily preventable by using simple protection measures.

     Your Committees further find that valuable state resources could be saved through prevention efforts including public education and awareness campaigns and by tracking incidences of skin cancer to better understand its causes and effects in Hawaii.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Health and Education that are attached to this report, your Committees concur with the intent and purpose of S.R. No. 70 and recommend its adoption.

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

____________________________ NORMAN SAKAMOTO, Chair

____________________________ DAVID Y. IGE, Chair