Hawaii House Bill HCR145

Hawaii 2025 Regular Session

• Introduced: 3/7/25
• Refer: 3/14/25
• Report Pass: 3/25/25
• Refer: 3/25/25
• Report Pass: 4/3/25
• Refer: 4/4/25

Caption

Urging The Department Of Education, Department Of Health, And Other Relevant Stakeholders To Collaborate And Develop A Strategic Plan To Prepare For Hawaii's Pursuit Of Funding For And Participation In The Centers For Disease Control And Prevention's Public Health Surveillance For Estimating Autism Prevalence.

Impact

By establishing a partnership with the CDC for autism monitoring, HCR145 aims to improve the state’s understanding of the autism prevalence, which has implications for educational and healthcare services. The lack of inclusion in national surveillance efforts has hindered Hawaii’s ability to gauge the full impact of autism, affecting both policy and funding opportunities. HCR145 calls for a comprehensive approach to enhancing services and interventions based on collected data, which could lead to better support for families dealing with autism.

Summary

HCR145 is a resolution urging the Department of Education, Department of Health, and relevant stakeholders in Hawaii to collaborate and develop a strategic plan to pursue funding and participation in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) autism prevalence surveillance. The resolution underscores the increasing incidence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), with current estimates indicating that one in every thirty-six children in the United States is affected. The necessity for this resolution is particularly pronounced in Hawaii, where certain ethnic groups have higher prevalence rates of autism, indicating a critical need for accurate data collection to address the needs of these communities.

Contention

While the resolution is specific in its intent, it implicitly raises questions about resource allocation and support for training and retention of health professionals involved in early intervention for autism. There are existing workforce shortages in Hawaii for specialists that provide services to children with autism, which needs addressing as part of the overall strategy described in HCR145. It also touches upon the importance of engaging local community organizations in the data collection process, ensuring that the intervention and services developed are culturally relevant and effectively meet the needs of the diverse populations in Hawaii.