STAND. COM. REP. NO. 930-00

                                 Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                   , 2000

                                 RE: S.B. No. 2490
                                     S.D. 2
                                     H.D. 1




Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say
Speaker, House of Representatives
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 2000
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committees on Human Services and Housing and Health, to
which was referred S.B. No. 2490, S.D. 2, entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO LONG-TERM RESIDENTIAL CARE,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to improve the long-term
residential care regulatory environment by:

     (1)  Promoting standard admission procedures and uniform
          assessment tools;

     (2)  Establishing an information and referral system as a
          simple and uniform way for the elderly, the non-
          elderly, and disabled persons to access the long-term
          care residential care system;

     (3)  Requesting a study on reorganizing all adult
          residential care homes and facilities into a new "adult
          residential care facilities" category; and

     (4)  Appropriating an unspecified amount to the Department
          of Health (DOH) to:

          (A)  Augment the Executive Office on Aging's (EOA)
               Aging Network for initial information and referral
               screening;


 
 
                                 STAND. COM. REP. NO. 930-00
                                 Page 2

 
          (B)  Expand EOA's screening and referral program to
               coordinate similar services for clients under age
               sixty;

          (C)  Fund a subcontract by EOA to provide these
               services for clients under age sixty; and

          (D)  Fund one-time start-up costs and annual operating
               costs.

     The Hawaii Coalition for Affordable Long Term Care and the
American Association of Retired Persons testified in support of
this measure.  The State Planning Council on Developmental
Disabilities testified in support of the intent of this measure.
DOH supported the intent of this measure but offered
recommendations.

     EOA agreed with the bill's emphasis on access to the long-
term care system through information and referral, but deferred
to DOH regarding the study of proposed adult residential care
homes and facilities classifications.

     The Department of Human Services supported the efforts of
the bill to simplify public access to long-term residential care,
but deferred to DOH and EOA concerning the portions pertaining to
the operation of adult residential care facilities and the
development and implementation of the screening and referral
programs.

     Your Committees note that other studies relating to adult
residential care facilities have already been completed.  It is
important that the study provided for in this measure does not
duplicate past studies, but rather, build on them.

     Your Committees further find that DOH already has the
authority through section 321-15.6(d), Hawaii Revised Statutes,
to design and establish standard admission policy and procedures,
including a uniform assessment tool mechanism.  Your Committees
believe that the bill's provision to implement standard admission
procedures using a uniform assessment tool would be duplicative
of DOH's current authority.

     Your Committees have amended this measure by:

     (1)  Deleting the establishment of standard admission
          procedures and uniform assessment tools; and

     (2)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for
          purposes of clarity and style.

 
                                 STAND. COM. REP. NO. 930-00
                                 Page 3

 
     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your
Committees on Human Services and Housing and Health that are
attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the
intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2490, S.D. 2, as amended herein,
and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached
hereto as S.B. No. 2490, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, and be referred to the
Committee on Finance.

                                   Respectfully submitted on
                                   behalf of the members of the
                                   Committees on Human Services
                                   and Housing and Health,

                                   
                                   
                                   
                                   
______________________________     ______________________________
ALEXANDER C. SANTIAGO, Chair       DENNIS A. ARAKAKI, Chair