STAND. COM. REP. NO.  55

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2009

 

RE:   H.B. No. 330

      H.D. 1

 

 

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2009

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Health, to which was referred H.B. No. 330 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO COMPREHENSIVE SEXUALITY HEALTH EDUCATION,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this bill is to ensure the delivery of accurate sex education information by requiring any recipient of state funding that provides sexuality health education to provide medically accurate, factual, and comprehensive information that is age appropriate and includes education on abstinence and contraception.

 

     The Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women, League of Women Voters - Hawaii, Planned Parenthood Hawaii, Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies Coalition of Hawaii, American Civil Liberty Union of Hawaii, Hawaii State Democratic Women's Caucus, Community Alliance on Prisons, Hawaii's Women's Political Caucus, Nursing Advocates and Mentors, Inc., The Mestizo Association, and several concerned individual supported this bill.  The Department of Education (DOE) and Hawaii Youth Services Network supported the intent of this measure.  The Department of Health, Catholic Charities Hawaii's Mary Jane Program (Try Wait! Program), Pro-family Hawaii, and several concerned individuals opposed this bill.  Several concerned individuals submitted comments.


 

     Your Committee has amended this bill by:

 

(1)  Clarifying that the state funding referred to by this bill is specifically for sexuality health education;

 

(2)  Rephrasing language as suggested by DOE regarding the prevention of unintended pregnancy to be more in line with Board of Education policies; and

 

(3)  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. 330, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 330, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Education.

 

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

 

 

 

 

____________________________

RYAN I. YAMANE, Chair