STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1143

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    H.B. No. 899

       H.D. 2

 

 

 

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2023

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Health and Human Services, to which was referred H.B. No. 899, H.D. 2, entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to designate the month of September as Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Awareness Month to promote public awareness of the risks of alcohol consumption during pregnancy.

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the State Council on Developmental Disabilities, Hawaii Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) Action Group, Hawaii Disability Rights Center, and four individuals.

 

     Your Committee finds that prenatal alcohol exposure is the most commonly known cause of preventable birth defects and developmental disorders in the United States.  Your Committee also finds that one in twenty children in the United States are born with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD), an umbrella term that encompasses the wide array of physical and neurobehavioral developmental disorders caused by in-utero exposure to alcohol.  According to testimony received by your Committee, despite data showing FASDs to be more prevalent than autism spectrum disorders, at least ten percent of pregnant women still drink during pregnancy.  Furthermore, due to the complex, subtle, and often undetectable nature of FASDs, the preventable lifelong brain-based disorders are often not recognized by parents, health care providers, educators, probation officers, homeless advocates, and society in general, thereby leaving many individuals with FASDs undiagnosed or misdiagnosed, and improperly or untreated.  This measure will help promote the public's awareness of the risks of alcohol consumption during pregnancy, increase understanding and the identification of the various symptoms of FASDs, and help individuals with FASD and their families receive the necessary support.

 

     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 H.B. No. 899, H.D. 2, and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to your Committee on Transportation and Culture and the Arts.

 

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

 

 

 

________________________________

JOY A. SAN BUENAVENTURA, Chair