STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1784

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2005

RE: H.C.R. No. 100

H.D. 1

S.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2005

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Health and Media, Arts, Science, and Technology, to which was referred H.C.R. No. 100, H.D. 1, entitled:

"HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII TO ESTABLISH AND HEAD A TASK GROUP TO CONDUCT A FEASIBILITY STUDY, HOST PUBLIC FORUMS, AND PROPOSE RECOMMENDATIONS ON STEM CELL RESEARCH,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to request the University of Hawaii to establish and head a task group to conduct a feasibility study, host public forums, and propose recommendations on stem cell research.

The Acting Dean of the University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine, the Hawaii Institute for Public Affairs, and one individual submitted testimony in support of this measure.

Publicly funded stem cell research, conducted under established standards of open scientific exchange, peer review, and public oversight, offers the most efficient and responsible means of fulfilling the promise of the use of stem cells in providing regenerative medical therapies.

However, because stem cell research, including the use of embryonic stem cells for medical research, raises significant ethical and policy concerns, public policy on stem cell research must balance ethical and medical considerations. Any stem cell research policy adopted by Hawaii should be based on an understanding of the science associated with stem cell research, grounded on a thorough consideration of the ethical concerns regarding that research, and crafted in a way that researchers will have the scientific and ethical tools necessary to fulfill the promise of stem cell research.

In order to ameliorate any appearance of a conflict of interest, the University of Hawaii, a potential participant in such stem cell research, should not be the agency responsible for the study.

Your Committees have amended the measure by conforming all of its provisions to the language in S.C.R. No. 200, S.D. 1. The amendment:

(1) Removes the University of Hawaii as the agency charged with the responsibility of conducting the study and inserts it its place the Legislative Reference Bureau;

(2) Deletes any reference to hosting a series of public forums relating to stem cell research;

(3) Requests the Bureau to consult with representatives of various disciplines, including but not limited to the appropriate medical and scientific professions, as well as the fields of law, ethics, and religious leaders; and

(4) Amends the title of the measure to reflect all amendments.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Health and Media, Arts, Science, and Technology that are attached to this report, your Committees concur with the intent and purpose of H.C.R. No. 100, H.D. 1, as amended herein, recommend that it be referred to the Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs, in the form attached hereto as H.C.R. No. 100, H.D. 1, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Health and Media, Arts, Science, and Technology,

____________________________

CAROL FUKUNAGA, Chair

____________________________

ROSALYN H. BAKER, Chair