STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1001

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 1458

       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. 1458 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT MAKING AN EMERGENCY APPROPRIATION TO THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH FOR THE EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES AND INJURY PREVENTION SYSTEM BRANCH,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to make an emergency appropriation to the Department of Health for emergency medical services for the fiscal period beginning July 1, 2006, and ending June 30, 2007.

     The Department of Defense and the Healthcare Association of Hawaii submitted comments in support of this measure.

     Your Committee finds that aeromedical services constitute a critical component of Hawaii's continuum of health care.

     Your Committee further finds that this emergency appropriation is necessary to cover the reimbursement costs for aeromedical services that were previously provided by the United States Army, but are now being provided by the Hawaii Army National Guard.

     Your Committee has amended this measure to:

     (1)  Change the appropriation amount to $439,684;

     (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 $439,684, or an additional 0.008 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.

     (3)  Specify the additional amount and percentage by which the appropriation contained in this bill will exceed the 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. 1458, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1458, S.D. 1.

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

____________________________

ROSALYN H. BAKER, Chair