STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1465

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    H.C.R. No. 42

       S.D. 1

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2009

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committees on Public Safety and Military Affairs and Health, to which was referred H.C.R. No. 42 entitled:

"HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE TO ALLOW AVAILABLE SURPLUS HELICOPTERS TO BE USED FOR MEDICAL EVACUATION SERVICES,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to request the Department of Defense to allow available surplus helicopters to be used for medical evacuation services.

     Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by one private organization and one individual.  Comments on this measure were submitted by one state agency.  Written testimony presented to the Committees may be reviewed on the Legislature's website.

     Your Committees find that health care for seriously injured or sick persons in rural areas throughout the State has been hampered by a delayed or deliberate system of operations to reach those persons.  Your Committees also find that the use of helicopters to reach those seriously injured or sick persons in rural areas would provide a tremendous advantage for effectively treating and caring for those persons.  Your Committees further find that the helicopters owned by the Department of Defense are not always in use and are available for other critical uses.

     Your Committees have amended this measure by:

     (1)  Requesting the Department of Defense to allow any "available" helicopters, rather than "available surplus" helicopters, to be used for medical evacuation services; and

     (2)  Making a conforming amendment to the title of the measure in light of the foregoing amendment; and

     (3)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purpose of clarity.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Public Safety and Military Affairs and Health that are attached to this report, your Committees concur with the intent and purpose of H.C.R. No. 42, as amended herein, and recommend its adoption in the form attached hereto as H.C.R. No. 42, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Public Safety and Military Affairs and Health,

____________________________ DAVID Y. IGE, Chair

____________________________ WILL ESPERO, Chair