STAND. COM. REP. NO.  342

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2015

RE:   H.B. No. 1377

      H.D. 1

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2015

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Health, to which was referred H.B. No. 1377 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO CHILD HEALTH,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funds to support a well-functioning early intervention system of services for children by:

     (1)  Appropriating funds to develop the specifications and pricing, as well as an implementation plan, for a web-based data system in the Early Intervention Section of the Department of Health; and

     (2)  Appropriating funds for operating expenses and the establishment of a statewide coordinator in the Department of Health to improve social-emotional and behavioral outcomes for children.

Project Vision Hawaii, Hawaii Early Intervention Coordinating Council, Waikiki Health, Family Voices of Hawaii, and two individuals submitted testimony in support of this measure.  The State Council on Developmental Disabilities supported the intent of this measure.  An individual opposed this measure.  The Department of Health provided comments.

     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 consistency and clarity.

     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. 1377, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1377, 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