STAND. COM. REP. NO. 374

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    S.B. No. 408

 

 

 

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2013

State of Hawaii

 

Madam:

 

     Your Committee on Tourism and Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 408 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE BUDGET OF THE OFFICE OF HAWAIIAN AFFAIRS,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to appropriate funds for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs for the 2013-2015 fiscal biennium.

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Oahu Council Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs, Alu Like, and one individual.

 

     The primary purpose of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs general funds request to the State of Hawaii is to provide services and assistance to Native Hawaiians in the areas of social services, legal services, education, health improvement program services, and leverage opportunities.  Statistics show that Native Hawaiians are among the highest ranking ethnic groups with cardiovascular disease, obesity, and diabetes.  Accordingly, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs has initiated a new strategic priority to reduce the rate of obesity of Native Hawaiians from 49.3 percent to 35 percent by 2018.  Primarily to provide these health improvement program services, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs is requesting an additional amount of funds from the Legislature this biennium and intends to create partnerships and agreements with other state agencies to leverage these funds.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Tourism and Hawaiian Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 408 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Tourism and Hawaiian Affairs,

 

		____________________________ BRICKWOOD GALUTERIA, Chair