STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3623

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    GOV. MSG. NOS. 757, 758

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2016

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health, to which was referred Governor's Message Nos. 757 and 758, submitting for study and consideration the nomination of: 

State Council On Mental Health

G.M. No. 757	CIARA KAHAHANE, for a term to expire 06-30-2016; and
G.M. No. 758	CIARA KAHAHANE, for a term to expire 06-30-2020,

begs leave to report as follows:

     Your Committee has reviewed the personal history, resume, and statement submitted by the nominee and finds Ciara Kahahane to possess the requisite qualifications to be nominated for appointment and reappointment to the State Council on Mental Health.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of the nomination for the appointment and reappointment of Ciara Kahahane from the Department of Health, National Alliance on Mental Illness Hawaii, and four individuals.

     Your Committee finds that Ms. Kahahane is presently a student at the University of Hawaii at Manoa pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree in Hawaiian Studies.  She has taken the initiative to found and serve as Executive Director for the National Alliance on Mental Illness On Campus at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, which brings awareness to mental health services and support groups on campus.  Ms. Kahahane has also been active with the National Alliance on Mental Illness Hawaii as a Volunteer, Chair of the Volunteer Committee, and Co-Chair for the Public Relations Committee for the National Alliance on Mental Illness Walk.  Ms. Kahahane indicated in her personal statement that she wants to find ways to make it easier for Hawaii residents with a mental illness to receive the help they need, make private health care more accessible, and make public health care more effective.  Your Committee finds that Ms. Kahahane's proven leadership, as well as her passion and dedication to serving the public, will be great assets to the State Council on Mental Health.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health that is attached to this report, your Committee, after full consideration of the background, experience, and qualifications of the nominee, has found the nominee to be qualified for the position to which nominated and recommends that the Senate advise and consent to the nomination.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health,

____________________________

ROSALYN H. BAKER, Chair