STAND. COM. REP. NO. 977

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 235

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2019

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 235 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to appropriate funds for various operating expenses of the Department of Health.

Specifically, this measure:

(1) Appropriates general funds to add permanent positions and funds for the enforcement of non-point source water pollution; and

(2) Appropriates moneys from the sanitation and environmental health special fund to add permanent sanitarian positions and funds for improved food safety.

Your Committee received written comments in support of this measure from the Department of Health.

Your Committee finds that the funds appropriated by this measure will assist the Department of Health to address pollution issues caused by runoff and other activities that may lead to beach closures and brown water advisories. Your Committee further finds that the additional sanitarian positions authorized by this measure will help to reduce the occurrence of food borne illness from food service establishments.

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. 235, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 235, 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