STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1264

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2017

RE:   S.B. No. 536

      S.D. 1

      H.D. 1

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2017

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committees on Health and Human Services, to which was referred S.B. No. 536, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO FALL PREVENTION,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funds to the Department of Health for a full-time Fall Prevention and Early Detection Coordinator within the Department's Emergency Medical Services and Injury Prevention System Branch as established by Act 153, Session Laws of Hawaii 2014.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from Project Vision, International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 142, Project Dana, Hawaii Chapter of the American Physical Therapy Association, American Medical Response, and several individuals.  The Department of Health submitted comments.

     Your Committees have amended this measure by changing its effective date to July 1, 2070, to encourage further discussion.

     Your Committees note that, in the form in which it was introduced, this measure originally contained an appropriation amount of $95,000 each for fiscal years 2017-2018 and 2018-2019.  Should your Committee on Finance consider this measure further, your Committees respectfully request that it consider appropriating that amount for the Fall Prevention and Early Detection Coordinator position.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Health and Human Services that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 536, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 536, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Health and Human Services,

____________________________ DEE MORIKAWA, Chair

____________________________ DELLA AU BELATTI, Chair