STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2736

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2658

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2018

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 2658 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT MAKING AN APPROPRIATION FOR EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to appropriate funds for the purchase of two ambulance vehicles and related operational costs.

Specifically, this measure appropriates an unspecified sum for the purchase of one ambulance vehicle each for the counties of Kauai and Hawaii and for corresponding operating costs, including equipment, supplies, and personnel costs for state-certified emergency medical service personnel.

Your Committee received written comments in support of this measure from the Mayor of the County of Hawaii; the Fire Department of the County of Hawaii; two members of the Hawaii County Council; six members of the Kauai County Council; American Medical Response; Hawaii Pacific Health; Wilcox Medical Center; Hawaii Fire Fighters Association, Local 1463; OCC Legislative Priorities Committee of the Democratic Party of Hawaii; and five individuals.

Your Committee received written comments on this measure from the Department of Health and the Emergency Medical Services Division of the City and County of Honolulu Emergency Services Department.

Your Committee finds that ambulance response times within the counties of Hawaii and Kauai are among the longest in the State due to population growth that has not been accompanied by a corresponding increase in ambulance vehicles. This measure will provide additional ambulance units to those counties to improve medical emergency response times.

Your Committee has amended this measure by changing the effective date to July 1, 2050, to facilitate further discussion on the measure.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2658, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2658, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

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DONOVAN M. DELA CRUZ, Chair