STAND. COM. REP. NO.  602-10

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2010

RE:   H.B. No. 2801

      H.D. 2

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2010

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Finance, to which was referred H.B. No. 2801, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT MAKING AN EMERGENCY APPROPRIATION FOR HAWAII HEALTH SYSTEMS CORPORATION FOR OPERATIONAL COSTS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to appropriate emergency funding to the Hawaii Health Systems Corporation (HHSC) to ensure the availability of critical health care services provided by our public hospital system in the East Hawaii region.  Specifically, this bill appropriates general funds for fiscal year 2009-2010 to:

     (1)  Be deposited into the Health Systems Special Fund for expenditure by the HHSC East Hawaii Regional Health Care System to ensure the continuous delivery of critical health care services and for the payment of HHSC's operational costs; and

     (2)  Establish the Big Island Rural Interdisciplinary Program in the East Hawaii region.

     HHSC testified in support of this bill.  Several concerned individuals offered comments.

     Your Committee has amended this bill by:

     (1)  Replacing all of the emergency appropriation figures with unspecified amounts;

     (2)  Changing its effective date to July 1, 2020, to encourage further discussion; and

     (3)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for clarity, consistency, and style.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Finance that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2801, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2801, H.D. 2.

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

____________________________

MARCUS R. OSHIRO, Chair