STAND. COM. REP. NO.822

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2003

RE: S.B. No. 1519

S.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2003

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 1519, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to provide a dedicated funding source for community health centers.

Specifically, this bill proposes to provide such funding by:

(1) Increasing the percentage, as yet unspecified, of tobacco settlement funds appropriated to the Department of Health and correspondingly decreasing the amount appropriated to the emergency and budget reserve fund; and

(2) Dedicating a percentage of the amounts consequently received by the Department of Health to fund operating expenditures of community health centers.

Your Committee received testimony in support of the bill from the Hana Community Health Center and the Hawaii Primary Care Association.

Your Committee finds that community health centers provide needed, high quality primary care services to Hawaii's rural communities. These centers operate only in designated underserved areas and must meet the medical, dental, mental health, preventive, and other service needs of individuals, regardless of their ability to pay for those services. Unfortunately, these centers are underfunded and residents of these underserved areas are in jeopardy of losing access to health services. Your Committee believes that the method of providing dedicated and stable funding, as contained in this bill, will ensure that Hawaii's community health centers continue to provide the medical and health care residents truly need. Your Committee has left the specific percentages unspecified to facilitate further discussions on this critical issue.

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 S.B. No. 1519, S.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