STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1340

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: H.B. No. 1301

H.D. 1

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2023

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Higher Education, to which was referred H.B. No. 1301, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO CANCER,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to appropriate funds for the University of Hawaii Cancer Center to conduct a multiethnic cohort study focusing on the social determinants of health, lifestyles, environmental exposures, and resilience factors of Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders, and Filipinos.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the University of Hawai‘i System, Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Hawai‘i Primary Care Association, ‘Ahahui o nā Kauka, Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Hawaii Medical Association, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, and eleven individuals.

Your Committee finds that medical research has the potential to develop safe and effective methods to prevent, detect, diagnose, treat, and ultimately cure cancer. Despite developments in cancer research, Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders, and Filipinos continue to experience high rates of common cancers, and this problem continues to be understudied. A new multiethnic cohort study of these populations is vitally important to address this gap in research. Findings by the cohort study will be useful to present and future cancer treatment and research affecting Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders, and Filipinos and will foster partnerships between these communities and medical and research communities to define common priority research areas. Therefore, this measure appropriates funds for the University of Hawaii Cancer Center to conduct a multiethnic cohort study to improve lifestyle, social, cultural, and economic determinants of cancer prevention, screening, early detection, treatment, and survivorship for Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders, and Filipinos.

Your Committee has amended this measure by making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Higher Education that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1301, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1301, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Higher Education,

________________________________

DONNA MERCADO KIM, Chair