STAND. COM. REP. NO. 609-06

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2006

RE: H.B. No. 3139

H.D. 2

 

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2006

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Health, to which was referred H.B. No. 3139, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to ensure and improve the development of Hawaii's children educationally and emotionally, by requiring childhood screening for vision, hearing, and speech development after child reaches the age of four and before the child reaches the age of six.

Family Voices of Hawaii and the Hawaii Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics supported this bill. The Department of Health (DOH) supported the intent of this measure. The Christian Science Committee on Publication supported this bill with amendments. A concerned individual provided comments.

Your Committee has amended this bill by:

(1) Providing early childhood screening to children from birth to eight years of age;

(2) Requiring a certificate of screening prior to a child beginning preschool or kindergarten;

(3) Allowing families with religious objections an exemption from early childhood screenings;

(4) Establishing the Hawaii Childhood Screening Initiative Taskforce (Task Force) comprised of representatives from state agencies, community groups, and family members of children eligible for screening;

(5) Directing the Task Force to make recommendations, formalize referral protocols, address issues related to physician participation, and evaluate compliance and appropriateness of referrals;

(6) Requiring that the Task Force submit a report annually to the Legislature no later than 20 days prior the start of each regular session, beginning with the Regular Session of 2007, on the status of the early childhood screenings program and any recommended legislation necessary to improve the program; and

(7) Making technical, nonsubstantive changes for clarity, consistency, and style.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 3139, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 3139, H.D. 2, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

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

 

____________________________

DENNIS A. ARAKAKI, Chair