STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1694

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.C.R. No. 169

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 Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 169 entitled:

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION DESIGNATING APRIL AS ORGAN DONOR AWARENESS MONTH IN HAWAII,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to designate April as Organ Donor Awareness Month in Hawaii.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Health, Legacy of Life Hawai‘i, and one individual.

Your Committee finds that organ transplantation is regarded as a standard medical treatment for a number of medical conditions and diseases, including chronic kidney disease. Survival rates following an organ transplant are impressive, and donated vital organs from one person can save the lives of up to eight people in need of an organ transplant. Yet your Committee finds that despite the growing number of successful transplant operations each year, more than one hundred thousand people nationwide remain on organ donation waiting lists and an average of twenty people die each day due to a lack of available organs for transplant. In Hawaii, more than four hundred people are waiting for life-saving organ transplants. Awareness regarding the importance of organ donation is needed to increase the number of organ donors, and designating April as Donate Life Month may encourage Hawaii residents to learn more about organ donation.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Replacing references to Organ Donor Awareness Month with Donate Life Month to accurately reflect and parallel the national designation;

(2) Updating the title accordingly; and

(3) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

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 concurs with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 169, as amended herein, and recommends its adoption in the form attached hereto as S.C.R. No. 169, S.D. 1.

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

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ROSALYN H. BAKER, Chair