STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1519

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2005

RE: H.B. No. 684

H.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2005

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred H.B. No. 684, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT MAKING AN EMERGENCY APPROPRIATION FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH EMERGENCY AMBULANCE SERVICE CONTRACTS COLLECTIVE BARGAINING COSTS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to make an emergency appropriation of $2,120,801 in general funds for fiscal year 2004-2005 to pay for ambulance service contract collective bargaining costs.

Your Committee finds that this emergency appropriation is necessary for the Department of Health to comply with collective bargaining increases negotiated by ambulance service providers statewide. The State provides emergency ambulance services through contractual arrangement with the City and County of Honolulu, Hawaii County, and a private provider, American Medical Response, for the counties of Maui and Kauai. This measure assures that continued emergency ambulance services are available at the current level of service throughout communities statewide.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 684, H.D. 1, and recommends that it pass Third Reading.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

____________________________

BRIAN T. TANIGUCHI, Chair