STAND. COM. REP. NO.72

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2001

RE: S.B. No. 253

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2001

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Labor, to which was referred S.B. No. 253 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE PUBLIC EMPLOYEES HEALTH FUND,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to extend health benefits coverage offered by the Public Employees Health Fund to members' unmarried dependent children who are college students and under the age of twenty-four or who are mentally or physically incapacitated.

Testimony in support of the measure was received from the Hawaii State Teachers Association. The Public Employees Health Fund submitted comments on the measure.

Specifically, the measure extends health benefits coverage to the unmarried children of Public Employees Health Fund members who are under the age of twenty-four and who are enrolled as full-time students in an educational institution. The measure also extends coverage to unmarried children of Public Employees Health Fund members, regardless of age, who are incapable of self-support due to a mental or physical incapacity that existed prior to the child reaching the age of nineteen.

Your Committee believes that the extension of health benefits coverage should be provided to members' college-age children if they are engaged in scholarly pursuits. Moreover, providing coverage to incapacitated dependents of members will assist such members in coping economically with what can only be a financially burdensome situation.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Labor that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 253 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

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

____________________________

BOB NAKATA, Chair