Bill Text: HI SCR152 | 2012 | Regular Session | Introduced

Hawaii Senate Concurrent Resolution 152 (Prior Session Legislation)

Introduced

Bill Title: Warning Signs; Alcohol Consumption; Pregnant Women

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 7-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2012-03-16 - (S) Referred to HTH/PGM, WAM. [SCR152 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2012-SCR152-Introduced.html

THE SENATE	S.C.R. NO.	152
TWENTY-SIXTH LEGISLATURE, 2012
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

urging Alcohol REtailers and licensed premises UNDER CHAPTER 281, HAWAII REVISED STATUTES, to post a sign in or about the premises warning women not to drink alcoholic beverages during pregnancy AND THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TO CONTINUE ITS EFFORTS TO PROVIDE STATEWIDE TRAINING ON FETAL ALCOHOL SPECTRUM DISORDER PREVENTION, IDENTIFICATION, AND INTERVENTIONS.

WHEREAS, this body finds that according to the findings of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System surveys from 1991 to 2005, approximately one in eight women drank alcohol while pregnant; and

WHEREAS, based on the study, the highest percentages of pregnant women reporting any alcohol use were aged thirty-five to forty-four years (17.7 percent), college graduates (14.4 percent), employed (13.7 percent), and unmarried (13.4 percent); and

WHEREAS, alcohol consumption during pregnancy is a risk factor for poor birth outcomes and fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, which describes the conditions that can occur in an individual whose mother drank alcohol during pregnancy, including fetal alcohol syndrome, birth defects, and low birth weight; and

WHEREAS, more than 40,000 babies are born with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder every year, which is higher than the rates of those with Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, cystic fibrosis, spina bifida, and sudden infant death syndrome; and

WHEREAS, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, fetal alcohol spectrum disorders are 100 percent preventable if a woman does not drink alcohol during pregnancy; and

WHEREAS, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated in 2002 that the lifetime costs for an individual affected with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder average $2,000,000; and

WHEREAS, the federal government has mandated that alcohol beverage containers include warnings of the effects of drinking while pregnant but has not mandated that alcohol retailers post warnings about the risk of drinking during pregnancy; and

WHEREAS, House Concurrent Resolution No. 141, Regular Session of 2004, requested the Department of Health to establish a coordinated statewide effort to address fetal alcohol spectrum disorder; and

WHEREAS, Senate Bill No. 2606, Regular Session of 2012, was introduced to require premises licensed under chapter 281, Hawaii Revised Statutes, to have an advertisement or sign posted on or about the premises that provides customers with a warning that women should not drink alcoholic beverages during pregnancy; and

WHEREAS, twenty-three states have passed laws that require signs be posted at locations where alcohol is served and sold to warn women of the dangers of drinking alcohol while pregnant; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-sixth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2012, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Legislature urges alcohol retailers and premises licensed under chapter 281, Hawaii Revised Statutes, to post a sign in or about the premises that reads:

"WARNING: Women should not drink alcoholic beverages during pregnancy because of the risk of birth defects and fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. Conditions associated with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder include physical, mental, behavioral, and learning disabilities."; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Health continue its efforts to provide statewide training on fetal alcohol spectrum disorder prevention, identification, and interventions; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Health, the mayor of each of the counties, and The Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii.