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Senate committees back funding to sustain Maui wildfire exposure study and health registry
Summary
A joint Senate committee voted to pass SB2969 with amendments to support the Maui wildfire exposure study and the Maui health registry, after survivors and health workers described ongoing physical and mental‑health needs identified in the program’s screenings.
A joint hearing of the Senate Committee on Education and Committee on Health and Human Services voted Feb. 11 to advance SB2969, a bill to appropriate funds for the University of Hawai‘i to expand and sustain the Maui wildfire exposure study and the Maui health registry.
Supporters — including Dana Moore, a Kanaka Maoli nurse who identified herself as the founder of Hawaii Community Health — told lawmakers the August 8, 2023, fires produced ongoing trauma and emerging health impacts that the study is uniquely positioned to detect and treat. "The trauma did not end that day, and the health impacts continue to emerge," Moore said, urging sustained funding and community‑centered outreach.
Other testifiers described clinical findings made during the program’s outreach: Sybil Moran, a Maui responder and community facilitator, said on‑site checks uncovered diabetes, lung obstruction and anemia and provided heavy‑metal testing and mental‑health screening; Amy Jackson credited the study with emergency triage and follow‑up care that she said saved her life. Dr. Christopher Knightsbridge, mental‑health team lead for the study, told the committee the program currently has about 2,000 participants but is seeking funds to expand reach, particularly for children.
Committee members asked for budget detail and timeline. Dr. Knightsbridge described a plan to scale services and staff and said the program combines research with direct intervention and referrals to treatment.
During the decision‑making session, the joint committee recommended amendments that blanked out appropriation amounts in the bill and voted to pass SB2969 with amendments. The chair and vice chair recorded aye votes; several members were recorded as excused. The committee report calls for the appropriation language to be clarified as the measure advances to the money committees.
Next steps: SB2969 moves from the committees to the Legislature’s finance process for appropriation details and final consideration.
