STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2169

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2006

RE: S.B. No. 2818

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2006

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Media, Arts, Science, and Technology, to which was referred S.B. No. 2818 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT AUTHORIZING THE ISSUANCE OF GENERAL OBLIGATION BONDS AND MAKING AN APPROPRIATION FOR A REGIONAL BIO-CONTAINMENT LABORATORY FACILITY,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to authorize the issuance of general obligation bonds and make an appropriation for the plans, design, construction, and equipment of a level III regional bio-containment laboratory facility for the University of Hawaii.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the University of Hawaii, the Department of Health, the Hawaii Science & Technology Council, and ThinkTech Hawaii.

The University of Hawaii has received a grant from the National Institute of Health's (NIH) National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to construct a level III regional bio-containment laboratory facility in Hawaii. The award is contingent upon the State contributing matching funds of $12,500,000. The laboratory will be part of the National Institute of Health's network of fifteen laboratories nationwide that will conduct research on infectious diseases that could potentially be used by bioterrorists. The goal of the national laboratory network is to develop the capacity to provide early detection of and to support rapid response to epidemic infectious diseases, whether they are the result of a natural or intentional causes.

Currently, Hawaii does not have a laboratory or the rapid response capacity to deal with exotic infectious disease epidemics. A laboratory diagnosis of a suspected exotic disease agent requires several weeks to obtain from a laboratory on the mainland. If the agent happens to be highly transmissible, such as the Avian Flu, the disease can geographically spread exponentially while waiting for the laboratory results. This scenario emphasizes the need to have a laboratory in Hawaii that will support an early warning epidemic disease surveillance system that will guide an emergency response to control newly imported pathogens.

Your Committee did express concerns regarding the site for the facility. As required by Act 7, Session Laws of Hawaii Special Session 2005, the Department of Health is preparing an updated master plan for the Waimano Ridge lands, to be submitted to the 2006 Legislature. Preliminary engineering analysis has shown that approximately $38,000,000 in infrastructure improvements and repairs must be done for the site to support future activities. These improvements will delay the start of construction and jeopardize completion of the project within the time frame set by NIH.

Your Committee remains supportive of the project, and finds that issuing general obligation bonds and making an appropriation to the University of Hawaii will provide the necessary matching funds for the plans, design, construction, and equipment of a level III regional bio-containment laboratory facility in Hawaii.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Media, Arts, Science, and Technology that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2818 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 Media, Arts, Science, and Technology,

____________________________

CAROL FUKUNAGA, Chair