STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2428

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2822

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Education and Health, to which was referred S.B. No. 2822 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO ASTHMA,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to require the Department of Education to offer optional asthma education courses to students and provide mandatory asthma training to teachers and other department employees who interact with students.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the American Lung Association, Hawai‘i Children's Action Network Speaks!, Hawai‘i Public Health Association, Hawai‘i Primary Care Association, Hawaii Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, AlohaCare, Hawaii Medical Association, Hawai‘i Association of School Psychologists, and three individuals. Your Committees received comments on this measure from the Department of Education and Department of Health.

Your Committees find that, according to the Department of Health, more than one hundred ten thousand Hawaii residents are living with asthma and approximately one-third of those are children. Your Committees further find that asthma is one of the leading causes of chronic disease-related school absenteeism. Absenteeism due to poorly controlled asthma may negatively affect educational outcomes and limit students' ability to fully participate in school activities.

Your Committees further find that research has shown that students who engage in school-based asthma education experienced significantly fewer days with activity limitations and significantly fewer nights of sleep disturbance after participation in the intervention. School-based asthma instruction has been shown to reduce symptoms, activity limitations, and health care utilization.

Accordingly, your Committees find that this measure will provide health and educational benefits to students with asthma through school-based instruction and training.

Your Committees also note the testimony of the Department of Education, providing that certain asthma support services are currently provided in public schools. Your Committees have therefore amended this measure by:

(1) Amending section 2 to better align with existing asthma support services in public schools;

(2) Amending section 1 to reflect its amended purpose; and

(3) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Education and Health that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2822, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2822, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Education and Health,

________________________________ JARRETT KEOHOKALOLE, Chair

________________________________ MICHELLE N. KIDANI, Chair