STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2813

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    S.B. No. 2557

       S.D. 2

 

 

 

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2016

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 2557, S.D. 1, entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO CONCUSSIONS,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to expand the concussion educational program established under Act 197, Session Laws of Hawaii 2012, to include youth athletic activities for participants aged eleven to eighteen and to incorporate additional program requirements.

 

     This measure also appropriates funds to implement the program and for concussion testing of high school student athletes.

 

     Your Committee received written comments in support of this measure from the Hawaii Athletic Trainers' Association, Hawaii Chapter of the American Physical Therapy Association, and Hawaii High School Athletic Association.  Your Committee received written comments on this measure from the Department of Education.

 

     Your Committee finds that the program established under Act 197 successfully impacted the lives of over one hundred thousand student-athletes in Hawaii by ensuring that all high school coaches are concussion certified and student-athletes are protected by baseline testing.  Your Committee further finds that this measure provides the needed expansion of and continued funding for that program.

 

 

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

 

(1)  Adding an appropriation for the Department of Education to implement the concussion awareness and management program for students who are eleven to thirteen years old; and

 

(2)  Changing the appropriation to the Department of Kinesiology and Rehabilitation Science of the University of Hawaii to an unspecified amount to further discussion on the matter.

 

     Your Committee requests the advocates of this measure continue to work together to achieve a consensus on their suggested amendments to this measure.

 

     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 S.B. No. 2557, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2557, S.D. 2.

 

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

 

 

 

________________________________

JILL N. TOKUDA, Chair