STAND. COM. REP. NO. 509

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 1728

       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 Health, to which was referred S.B. No. 1728 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO A TWO-YEAR HEPATITIS C DEMONSTRATION PROJECT,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to provide funding for a two‑year demonstration project at the Waikiki Health Center and the West Hawaii Community Health Center, that includes hepatitis C testing, case management, and treatment.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Drug Policy Action Group; Philippine Nurses Association-Hawaii; United Filipino Council of Hawaii; Nursing, Advocates & Mentors, Inc.; Filipino Coalition for Solidarity; Oahu Filipino Community Council; Asian American Network for Cancer Awareness Research and Training; Waikiki Health Center; Hepatitis Prevention, Education, Treatment & Support Network of Hawai‘i; Hawaii Disability Rights Center; and seven individuals.  Comments were received from the Department of Health.

     Your Committee finds that Hawaii has the highest rate of liver cancer in the United States due to the high rate of chronic viral hepatitis in our State.  There are over fifteen thousand people that have tested positive for hepatitis C in Hawaii.  Hepatitis C is also the leading cause of liver transplant in the United States.  Many people who are infected with this silent epidemic wait until they feel ill before being tested, when it can be more difficult, extremely expensive, or may even be too late to be treated.

     Your Committee further finds that testing, early medical follow-up, and treatment are needed to save lives.  Proactive public health intervention is needed to reduce costs to our public health system instead of the high costs that can occur without proactive public health intervention.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by deleting the specific amount appropriated.  Your Committee recommends to the Committee on Ways and Means that the original appropriation amount of $120,000 be restored.

     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. 1728, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1728, S.D. 1, 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