STAND. COM. REP. NO.  364

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2013

RE:   H.B. No. 905

      H.D. 1

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2013

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Health, to which was referred H.B. No. 905 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO NEWBORN SCREENING,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to strengthen the Department of Health's efforts to help Hawaii's families have healthy babies by:

     (1)  Authorizing the Department of Health to implement point of care newborn screening;

     (2)  Requiring the Department of Health to specify policies and procedures for the administration of point of care newborn screening administered by institutions caring for newborn infants;

     (3)  Requiring the person in charge of each institution caring for newborn infants and the responsible physician attending the birth of a newborn, or the person assisting the birth of a newborn not attended by a physician, to ensure that every newborn infant in the person's care be tested for the diseases and conditions for point of care newborn screening specified by the Department of Health;

     (4)  Requiring the Department of Health to adopt rules for the administration and execution of point of care newborn screening;

     (5)  Requiring the Director of Health to submit an annual report to the Legislature identifying all expenditures made from the Newborn Metabolic Screening Special Fund for the Department's point of care newborn screening activities; and

     (6)  Authorizing the use of monies in the Newborn Metabolic Screening Special Fund to be used for both metabolic screening and point of care newborn screening activities.

The Department of Health, Executive Office on Early Learning, Family Voices of Hawai'i, and March of Dimes Hawaii Chapter testified in support of this bill.  

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Changing its effective date to July 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion; and

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

     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 H.B. No. 905, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 905, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

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

____________________________

DELLA AU BELATTI, Chair