STAND. COM. REP. NO. 516

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2025

RE: H.B. No. 1115

H.D. 1

Honorable Nadine K. Nakamura

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2025

State of Hawaii

Madame:

Your Committee on Health, to which was referred H.B. No. 1115 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO UNIVERSAL IMMUNIZATION FUNDING PROGRAM,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to establish the Universal Immunization Purchase Special Fund to finance the distribution of immunizations to qualifying health care providers free of charge.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Health; American Academy of Pediatrics, Hawai‘i Chapter; Hawai‘i Public Health Institute; Children's Doctors L.L.C.; and numerous individuals. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Biotechnology Innovation Organization; Fathers and Mothers for Children Kauai Chapter; and numerous individuals. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Tax Foundation of Hawai‘i.

Your Committee finds that "Universal Purchase" programs are programs that enable states to leverage bulk purchasing and federal immunization programs to establish a streamlined procurement, oversight, and distribution system for all recommended vaccines for children and adults. Your Committee further finds that the purchase of immunizations is done by the State and private health care providers or health systems. This practice requires private health care providers to take on considerable costs, as they must pay for their immunizations up front in addition to costs incurred for securing and storing the immunizations. Your Committee believes that establishing a Universal Immunization Funding Program in Hawaii will reduce the financial and administrative burden borne by private health care providers and systems and lower incidences of immunization-preventable diseases by increasing access to immunizations.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Amending the definition of "immunization";

(2) Changing the effective date to July 1, 3000, to encourage further discussion; and

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

Your Committee respectfully requests your Committee on Finance, should it deliberate on this measure, to consider an appropriation of between $2,800,000 and $3,600,000 and an additional one-time appropriation of $934,000 for fiscal year 2025-2026 for startup costs for the Universal Immunization Funding Program.

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 H.B. No. 1115, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1115, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

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

____________________________

GREGG TAKAYAMA, Chair