STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3576

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.R. No. 28

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.R. No. 28 entitled:

"SENATE RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE BLOOD BANK OF HAWAII TO IMMEDIATELY ADOPT THE FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION'S UPDATED GUIDANCE WHICH SHORTENS OR ELIMINATES THE DEFERRAL PERIOD FOR CERTAIN BLOOD DONORS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to request the Blood Bank of Hawaii to immediately adopt the Food and Drug Administration's updated guidance, which shortens or eliminates the deferral period for certain blood donors.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from Blood Bank of Hawaii and one individual.

Your Committee finds that due to fears of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, blood bank donations decreased substantially in 2021, resulting in an historic blood inventory shortage in the State. Your Committee further finds that the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is the government agency that determines blood donor eligibility requirements. Due to the national shortage of blood donations during the COVID-19 pandemic, the FDA revised its blood donor eligibility guidance for several categories of blood donors, which shortened or eliminated completely the deferral period, or the amount of time these donors must wait before donating blood. However, the Blood Bank of Hawaii has yet to adopt any of the FDA's updated guidance. Therefore, this measure requests the Blood Bank of Hawaii to immediately adopt the FDA's updated guidance.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Amending its title; and

(2) 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 concurs with the intent and purpose of S.R. No. 28, as amended herein, and recommends its adoption in the form attached hereto as S.R. No. 28, S.D. 1.

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

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JARRETT KEOHOKALOLE, Chair