STAND. COM. REP. NO.  91-08

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2008

RE:   H.B. No. 2022

      H.D. 1

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2008

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Health, to which was referred H.B. No. 2022 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO CHILDREN'S HEALTH,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to improve the chances for success in our educational system for children who may have undiagnosed developmental disabilities by providing a means for a child to be screened prior to the start of the child's first entry into preschool or elementary school, to:

(1)  Ensure diagnosis, referral, correction or treatment; and

(2)  Integrate the efforts of community and state organizations related to screening.

The Department of Education, Hawaii State Council on Developmental Disabilities, Good Beginnings Alliance, Hawaii State Teachers Association, and a concerned individual supported this bill.  The Department of Health and Hawaii Optometric Association supported the intent of this measure.

Your Committee finds that the creation of an early childhood screening program will provide necessary developmental screening and assessment that will detect deficiencies and provide corrections before they hinder a child's ability to function in school.  This initiative will build upon the work done by the Screening Task Force (Task Force), established pursuant to Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 70, H.D. 1, 2006.  The Task Force submitted its finding in a report prior to the beginning of this legislative session.

Your Committee has amended this bill by:

(1)  Inserting a provision to fund the implementation of a hearing and vision screening program for newborns, pre-kindergartners, and children in school grades three, five, eight, and eleven; and

(2)  Making technical, nonsubstantive changes for clarity, consistency, and style.

     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 H.B. No. 2022, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2022, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

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

____________________________

JOSHUA B. GREEN, M.D., Chair