STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1229-14

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2014

 

RE:   H.C.R. No. 238

 

 

 

 

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2014

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Health, to which was referred H.C.R. No. 238 entitled:

 

"HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE SUPERINTENDENT OF EDUCATION AND THE DIRECTOR OF HEALTH TO FORM A WORKING GROUP TO ASSESS WHETHER CHILDREN IN HAWAII WHO ARE DEAF OR SEVERELY HARD OF HEARING AND WHO CHOOSE THE AURAL/ORAL ROUTE OF COMMUNICATION RECEIVE PROPER TRAINING AND SUPPORT TO LEARN SPOKEN LANGUAGE SKILLS,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this measure is to assess whether children in Hawaii who are deaf or severely hard of hearing receive the proper training and support to learn spoken language skills through the aural/oral route of communication by requesting the Superintendent of Education and the Director of Health to:

 

(1)  Establish a working group to assess the needs of deaf and severely hard of hearing children in Hawaii, the availability of qualified speech therapy professionals, the potential role of telehealth services in connecting families to necessary services, and the role of insurance in providing coverage of necessary therapy; and

 

(2)  Submit a report of its findings, recommendations, and any proposed legislation to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2015.

 

     The Department of Health, the State Council on Developmental Disabilities, and several individuals testified in support of this measure. The Department of Education offered comments.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of H.C.R. No. 238 and recommends that it be referred to the Committee on Education.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Health,

 

 

 

 

____________________________

DELLA AU BELATTI, Chair