STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1017

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.C.R. No. 4

       S.D. 1

Honorable Shan S. Tsutsui

President of the Senate

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2011

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Health, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 4 entitled:

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION DECLARING THE MONTH OF MAY AS LUPUS AWARENESS MONTH IN HAWAII,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to proclaim the month of May of each year as "Lupus Awareness Month" in Hawaii to raise awareness of the disease.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from Hawaii Medical Association, Lupus Hawai‘i, Women in Government, and one private citizen. 

     Your Committee finds that new research and new approaches to diagnosis and treatment are needed to fight lupus, and that the suffering of lupus victims can be alleviated through patient services and the promotion of early detection of undiagnosed cases through lupus awareness programs.  Declaring one month out of each year to lupus awareness will increase the public's knowledge of the disease. 

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Amending its title; and

     (2)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 4, as amended herein, and recommends its adoption in the form attached hereto as S.C.R. No. 4, S.D. 1.

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

____________________________

JOSH GREEN, M.D., Chair