STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2016

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 2065

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2014

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Health, to which was referred S.B. No. 2065 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

     (1)  Convene a task force to collect relevant data on the number of elective pre-term deliveries in Hawaii;

     (2)  Require the task force to develop approaches and measures for addressing the number of elective pre-term deliveries, if the task force determines that the number may pose a public health threat;

     (3)  Require the task force to collect data to determine whether a point-of-care newborn screening program is needed in Hawaii; and

     (4)  Require the task force to report to the Legislature.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Health and Healthcare Association of Hawaii.

     Your Committee finds that the ability to prevent infant deaths and address long-standing disparities in infant mortality rates between population groups is necessary to protect the health and well-being of the community.  Your Committee further finds that the collection of data on elective pre-term deliveries and point-of-care newborn screening is critical to inform policy and program interventions.

     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 S.B. No. 2065 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

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

____________________________

JOSH GREEN, Chair