STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1166_______

                                 Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                   , 1999

                                 RE: S.B. No. 178
                                     




Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say
Speaker, House of Representatives
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 1999
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Health, to which was referred S.B. No. 178
entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT MAKING AN APPROPRIATION FOR HEALTHY
     START,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to prevent child abuse and
neglect by appropriating funds to the Healthy Start program.

     The Hawaii Family Support Center, Parents and Children
Together, the Molokai Family Support Center, and several
individuals submitted testimony in support of this measure.  The
Department of Health submitted testimony in support of this
measure, as long as its passage does not replace or adversely
impact priorities as indicated by the Executive Biennium Budget
request.

     The Healthy Start program is a nationally recognized
program, which provides early identification and home visitation
services for families identified as being at risk for child abuse
and neglect.  Your Committee finds that the Felix Consent Decree
and its implementation plan require that Healthy Start programs
have the capacity to conduct universal screening by the end of
fiscal year 2000.  However, resources do not permit the
enrollment of all families identified into appropriate support
services.


 
 
 
                                 STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1166_______
                                 Page 2

 
     This measure would provide the necessary funding to ensure
that newly identified families, and families currently not
receiving services, will receive Healthy Start home visitations.

     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 S.B. No.
178 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to
the Committee on Finance.

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



                                   ______________________________
                                   ALEXANDER C. SANTIAGO, Chair