STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3410

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.C.R. No. 94

       S.D. 1

Honorable Shan S. Tsutsui

President of the Senate

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2012

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 94 entitled:

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR AND INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS TO CONDUCT A STUDY TO PROMOTE WORKPLACE WELLNESS PROGRAMS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to encourage healthy lifestyles while lowering health care costs for employers and employees.

     Specifically, this measure requests the Department of Health and the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations to conduct a study to promote workplace wellness programs and to submit a report of their findings, recommendations, and any proposed legislation to the Legislature.

     Written comments in support of this measure were submitted by the Office of Hawaiian Affairs.  Written comments in opposition to this measure were submitted by the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations.

Your Committee finds that workplace wellness programs, including health risk assessments, clinical screenings, on-site exercise facilities, education materials, health counseling, and on-site group activities, result in long-term health benefits to employees, increased productivity, and lower replacement costs due to absenteeism.  Your Committee further finds that large employers that adopt wellness programs realize a more than three-to-one reduction in medical costs for every dollar spent on wellness programs.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by making technical nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of style.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 94, as amended herein, and recommends its adoption in the form attached hereto as S.C.R. No. 94, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

____________________________

DAVID Y. IGE, Chair