STAND. COM. REP. NO. 30

                                 Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                   , 1999

                                 RE: H.B. No. 319
                                     




Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say
Speaker, House of Representatives
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 1999
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Health, to which was referred H.B. No. 319
entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO SCHOOL HEALTH SERVICES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to improve the provision of
health services to Hawaii's public school students by
establishing a pilot project that expands the workday of public
school health aides from six and one-half to eight hours per day
in twelve large secondary public schools.

     The Hawaii Government Employees Association (HGEA), Hawaii
Nurses' Association, and a number of presently employed or former
school health aides testified in support of this measure.

     The Department of Education submitted testimony in support
of the intent of the bill, with the reservation that an increased
workday might not address the problem of providing direct
services to students while they are in school.  The Department of
Health opposed the bill, recommending instead that the number of
permanent health aides be increased.

     Your Committee believes that at a minimum, the increased
work day under this pilot project will give school health aides
more time to complete their work, and thus, the ability to more
fully provide for students' health care needs during the regular
school day.


 
 
                                 STAND. COM. REP. NO. 30
                                 Page 2

 
     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.
319 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to
the Committee on Education.

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



                                   ______________________________
                                   ALEXANDER C. SANTIAGO, Chair