STAND. COM. REP. NO.  194-16

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2016

RE:   H.B. No. 1745

      H.D. 1

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2016

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Health, to which was referred H.B. No. 1745 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure, as received by your Committee, is to authorize the Director of Health, rather than the Governor, to declare an epidemic or imminent epidemic and use moneys in the new Disease Outbreak Response Fund for epidemic control and relief.

An individual testified in support of this measure.  The Department of Health (DOH), Department of the Attorney General, and Department of Budget and Finance commented on this measure.

Noting DOH's testimony that other mechanisms currently exist for funding disease outbreak response and the immediate need to target resources to support vector control efforts in combatting the dengue fever outbreak and any other future outbreaks, your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1)  Deleting its contents and inserting provisions substantially similar to H.B. No. 2061, Proposed H.D. 1, which your Committee heard on February 5, 2016.  As amended, this measure makes an appropriation in an unspecified amount for DOH to:

(A)  Hire 37 positions including a vector control manager, communications specialist, and 35 staff; and

(B)  Take steps to fully reestablish a Vector Control Sector Branch within DOH's Environmental Health Administration; and

(2)  Changing its effective date to July 1, 2070, to encourage further discussion.

     Should this measure be considered by the Committee on Finance, your Committee respectfully requests that it consider an appropriation amount of $1,901,475 to hire the 37 positions and reestablish a Vector Control Sector Branch.

     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. 1745, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1745, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

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

____________________________

DELLA AU BELATTI, Chair