STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2131
Honolulu, Hawaii
RE: S.B. No. 3125
S.D. 1
Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi
President of the Senate
Thirty-First State Legislature
Regular Session of 2022
State of Hawaii
Sir:
Your Committee on Health, to which was referred S.B. No. 3125 entitled:
"A BILL FOR AN ACT MAKING AN EMERGENCY APPROPRIATION TO THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH FOR COVID-19 VACCINATIONS,"
begs leave to report as follows:
The purpose and intent of this measure is to make an emergency appropriation to support coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination activities.
Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Health, Hawai‘i Primary Care Association, and Hawaii Medical Service Association. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Budget and Finance.
Your Committee finds that in support of COVID-19 vaccination efforts, the State has received funding from the United States Federal Emergency Management Agency. This funding will expire in April of 2022. While Hawaii is among the top ten states in vaccine doses administered per population, in certain rural and marginalized communities, the vaccination rate remains below sixty percent. Thus, these communities remain highly vulnerable to future COVID-19 infection surges. This measure provides emergency funding to the Department of Health to support vaccination efforts across the State.
Your
Committee has amended this measure by 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 Health that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 3125, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 3125, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Health,
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________________________________ JARRETT KEOHOKALOLE, Chair |
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