STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2276

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 3076

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2008

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Health, to which was referred S.B. No. 3076 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EPIDEMIOLOGISTS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to protect public health by ensuring that the Department of Health has highly qualified, experienced epidemiologists to protect the State from re-emerging diseases and to interrupt outbreaks rapidly.

     Specifically, this measure adds a new section to chapter 321, Hawaii Revised Statutes, that authorizes the Department of Health to establish permanent or temporary exempt epidemiologist positions for the purpose of investigating diseases and injuries which threaten the public health and safety.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Health.

     Your Committee finds that appropriate and effective epidemiological investigations would best be conducted by qualified epidemiologists.  Your Committee further finds that this measure authorizes the Department to establish an unspecified number of exempt epidemiologist positions, within the Department, that would be funded by legislative appropriations.

     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. 3076 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