HomeMy WebLinkAbout2019-02-11 Letter to Michelle N. Kidani and Russell E. Ruderman SB 383 Relating to Youth Suicide Prevention
County of Hawai‘i
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County of Hawai‘i is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer.
Wil Okabe
Managing Director
Harry Kim
Mayor
Barbara J. Kossow
Deputy Managing Director
February 8, 2019
Senator Michelle N. Kidani, Chair
Committee on Education
Senator Russell E. Ruderman, Chair
Committee on Human Services
Dear Chair Kidani, Chair Ruderman, and Committee Members:
RE: SB 383 Relating to Youth Suicide Prevention
Thank you for this opportunity to testify on SB 383, dealing with youth suicide prevention.
I am not knowledgeable enough, nor do I have the expertise, to comment on the specific
detailed approach to suicide prevention laid out in this bill. However, having done some minimal
research to warrant supporting SB226 (funding for suicide prevention on Kauai and Hawaiʻi by the
Department of Health), I feel comfortable urging this Legislature to recruit the Department of
Education in the prevention effort.
Whether or not you feel comfortable mandating the specific provisions of SB 383, or choose to
pass a more generic bill, I leave to your discretion. In either case, I hope you keep the concept alive
for further discussion, and perhaps explicitly recognize that additional funding may be necessary if
your mandate is to be properly carried out.
Respectfully Submitted,
Harry Kim
MAYOR