STAND. COM. REP. 2254

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2004

RE: S.B. No. 2108

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2004

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Education, to which was referred S.B. No. 2108 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funding to hire additional athletic health care trainers in Department of Education schools.

Your Committee received testimony in support of the measure from the Department of Education Athletic Health Care Trainers, Athletic Directors and Coaches Association, Hawaii Government Employees Association, Hawaii State Teachers Association, and athletic director of McKinley High School. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to the measure from the Department of Education.

Your Committee finds that through proper conditioning and strengthening, a player may decrease the chance of injury and maximize the player's full potential. Unfortunately, accidents happen. Response time is critical to reduce the pain and discomfort of an injury, and decrease the number of days spent on the sideline. Once stabilized, the athlete requires rehabilitation to return to play safely.

Your Committee further finds that, currently, the average ratio of athletes to athletic trainers is 532 to 1. The ratio of athletic teams to trainers is 42 to 1. Passage of this measure will improve the Department of Education's ability to provide proper preventative care, injury response, and injury rehabilitation to all injured athletes.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Education that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2108 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 Education,

____________________________

NORMAN SAKAMOTO, Chair