STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2740

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    H.B. No. 2688

       H.D. 1

       S.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2010

State of Hawaii

 

Madam:

 

     Your Committees on Energy and Environment and Health, to which was referred H.B. No. 2688, H.D. 1, entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH,"

 

beg leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this measure is to change the name of the environmental health education fund to the sanitation and environmental health special fund and allow the use of fund money for sanitation branch activities. 

 

     Testimony in support of the measure was submitted by one state agency and one individual.  One state agency submitted testimony in opposition.  Written testimony presented to the Committees may be reviewed on the Legislature's website.

 

     Your Committees find that there is a crisis in the shortage of food safety employees and inspectors.  The Department of Health Sanitation Branch is participating in the United States Food and Drug Administration's Voluntary National Retail Food Regulatory Program.  The Program standards recommend that the ratio of full-time food inspectors to food establishments be 1:150.  Presently, on Oahu, there are 5,860 food establishments and nine inspectors, resulting in a ratio of 1:651.  Recent data for Oahu revealed that of the 3,772 routine inspections conducted in 2009, inspectors identified 3,083 major violations that may have contributed to the occurrence of food borne illnesses or harmful contamination.  This poor performance is a direct result of the inspection frequency of once every two and a half years.  High risk and high volume food establishments should be inspected three to four times per year.  It is imperative that the State have adequate staffing levels for food safety, to protect residents and visitors to the State. 

 

     Your Committees have amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Clarifying the expansion of sanitation branch activities covered by the fund;

 

     (2)  Increasing the amount of the fund that can be used for administrative costs for environmental health programs; and

 

     (3)  Making technical, nonsubstantive changes for the purposes of style and consistency.

 

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Energy and Environment and Health that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2688, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2688, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Energy and Environment and Health,

 

____________________________

DAVID Y. IGE, Chair

 

____________________________

MIKE GABBARD, Chair