STAND. COM. REP. 69

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2003

RE: H.B. No. 909

H.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2003

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Water, Land Use, and Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred H.B. No. 909 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO NATIVE HAWAIIAN HEALTH,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to statutorily establish a native Hawaiian Health Care Program (Program) under the Department of Health (DOH) and to appropriate funds to enable the community health centers to hire graduates of the Program.

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs and Papa Ola Lokahi submitted testimony supporting the intent of the measure.

Your Committee finds the Program, working in conjunction with the federal Native Hawaiian Health Care Act, should develop native Hawaiian primary health care professionals in all disciplines. Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by clarifying that the hiring of full-time professional clinical staff by community health centers should not be particularly directed to the hiring of psychologists or psychiatrists. Other amendments were made for purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Water, Land Use, and Hawaiian Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 909, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 909, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Health.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Water, Land Use, and Hawaiian Affairs,

 

____________________________

EZRA R. KANOHO, Chair