STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1428

                                   Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                     , 1999

                                   RE:  H.B. No. 547
                                        H.D. 3
                                        S.D. 2




Honorable Norman Mizuguchi
President of the Senate
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 1999
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred H.B.
No. 547, H.D. 3, S.D. 1, entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO ANATOMICAL GIFTS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to increase the number of organs
for transplantation by:

     (1)  Authorizing the collection of $1 beginning July 1,
          2000, from persons or entities registering a motor
          vehicle to be deposited into a newly created Hawaii
          organ and tissue education special fund;

     (2)  Authorizing the examiner of drivers to adopt rules to
          allow an organ procurement organization twenty-four-
          hour telephone access to the driver's license database
          solely for the purpose of determining whether a driver
          has indicated a willingness to be an organ donor;

     (3)  Requiring each acute care hospital in Hawaii to develop
          protocols by July 1, 2000 to require the reporting of
          deaths to the local organ procurement organization to
          determine the suitability of the individual for organ,
          tissue, and eye donation;


 
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     (4)  Establishing an organ and tissue education special fund
          from which an as yet unspecified grant would be
          expended by the Organ Donor Center of Hawaii for
          educational purposes in the area of organ donation; and

     (5)  Requiring the Department of Health and the Organ Donor
          Center of Hawaii to submit a report to the Legislature
          twenty days before the Regular Session of 2003, on the
          deposits and disbursements from the special fund and
          report on the effectiveness of its use towards
          increasing organ donations.

     Your Committee finds that the medical community has moved
faster and farther in their efforts to extend and improve the
quality of life through the technological advances of organ
transplantation.  However, the general community has not reached
the same level of appreciation of these medical marvels by
willingly donating needed organs at the time of death.
Therefore, there is more demand for organs than supply and many
patients die while waiting for a suitable organ to become
available.  This bill is designed to increase public awareness
through education campaigns funded from the organ and tissue
education special fund, and also to develop hospital protocols to
increase the likelihood that families of dying patients will be
asked whether they would be willing to consent to the donation of
the decedent's organs.  It is hoped that through these efforts
fewer patients will have to spend years on the waiting list to
have an organ transplant.

     Your Committee has amended this bill by making technical
nonsubstantive changes as follows:

     (1)  On page 2, corrected section 327-C to 327-B;

     (2)  On page 3, removed an unnecessary phrase, "when the
          information is requested pursuant to section 327-A";
          and

     (3)  On page 6, corrected "decedent" to "donor".

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your
Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No.
547, H.D. 3, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it
pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 547,
H.D. 3, S.D. 2.


 
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                                 Respectfully submitted on behalf
                                 of the members of the Committee
                                 on Ways and Means,



                                 ________________________________
                                 CAROL FUKUNAGA, Co-Chair



                                 ________________________________
                                 ANDREW LEVIN, Co-Chair

 
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