STAND. COM. REP. NO. 340

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2001

RE: S.B. No. 471

S.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2001

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Labor and Health and Human Services, to which was referred S.B. No. 471 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EMPLOYMENT,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purposes of this measure are to mandate that employers grant paid leaves of absence to employees seeking to undergo medical procedures to become bone marrow donors, and to require the director of health to develop a program to educate the public regarding bone marrow transplants.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Health and the Hawaii Civil Rights Commission. The Hawaii Bone Marrow Donor Registry Program submitted testimony stating that this measure is unnecessary at this time. Kaiser Permanente submitted comments.

Your Committees find that bone marrow transplants are often necessary to save the lives of persons with different forms of cancer. Unfortunately, bone marrow donors with matching tissue are difficult to locate. Your Committees find that the State should do everything possible to encourage residents to become bone marrow donors.

Your Committees believe that this measure is a step in the right direction. The provisions proposed in this measure will increase public awareness of the problem, and make it easier for potential donors to find the time necessary to donate.

Based on the concerns raised by several testifiers, however, it is unclear whether this measure is necessary at this time. Therefore, your Committees have amended the effective date to July 1, 2050, for purposes of further discussion on this measure.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Labor and Health and Human Services that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 471, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 471, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Labor and Health and Human Services,

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DAVID MATSUURA, Chair

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BOB NAKATA, Chair