STAND. COM. REP. NO.2087

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2002

RE: S.B. No. 3054

S.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2002

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Health and Human Services, to which was referred S.B. No. 3054 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO ACQUIRED IMMUNE DEFICIENCY SYNDROME VACCINATIONS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to create an economic incentive for pharmaceutical companies to develop a vaccine to prevent Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) by requiring health benefit plans to cover the vaccine when one becomes available.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the AIDS Community Care Team. Testimony in opposition was submitted by the Department of Health and Kaiser Permanente. The Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs submitted comments.

Your Committee finds that AIDS is one of the most insidious and debilitating diseases in the world today. AIDS has spread to every corner of the world, infecting more than 40 million people worldwide.

Your Committee believes that the State should do everything possible to encourage research and development of an AIDS vaccine. This measure accomplishes that goal, by creating an economic incentive for an institution to develop a vaccine. Therefore, your Committee fully supports this measure.

Your Committee made a technical, nonsubstantive amendment to this measure to conform to the Hawaii Revised Statutes.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health and Human Services that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 3054, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 3054, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection and Housing.

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

____________________________

DAVID MATSUURA, Chair