STAND

 

STAND. COM. REP. 2240

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2004

RE: S.B. No. 3194

S.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2004

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection and Housing, to which was referred S.B. No. 3194 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT MAKING AN APPROPRIATION TO THE RX PROGRAM,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funds for the Rx program.

The Department of Human Services, AARP Hawaii, and ILWU Local 142 testified in support of this measure.

The Rx program was established to make prescription drugs more affordable for Hawaii's residents through discounted prices. As this program is not a Medicaid program, no federal Medicaid funds are available to defray program costs. Therefore, this measure authorizes an appropriation of general revenues for the program.

Your Committee finds that the Department of Human Services requires approximately $400,000 to develop and initiate implementation of the Rx program. Therefore, your Committee has amended this measure to insert an appropriation in that amount. Additionally, the measure has been amended to clarify the program's statutory authority.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection and Housing that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 3194, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 3194, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection and Housing,

		____________________________ RON MENOR, Chair