STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2396

                                   Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                     , 2000

                                   RE:  S.B. No. 2852
                                        




Honorable Norman Mizuguchi
President of the Senate
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 2000
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committees on Health and Human Services and Labor and
Environment, to which was referred S.B. No. 2852 entitled: 

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

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to allow the Department of
Human Services (DHS) to employ civil service and non-civil
service personnel to service waiver programs.

     Your Committees received testimony in support of this
measure from the DHS and Healthcare Association of Hawaii.

     This measure would allow personnel employed for waiver
programs to be exempt from civil service, in the discretion of
the DHS.

     Waiver programs are exceptions to programs for social
services that are federal program initiatives which the State
must comply with in order to receive federal funding.  If the
State desires to conduct a program not in keeping with federal
regulations, usually a demonstration project such as QUEST, the
State must obtain a waiver in order to receive federal funding.
The waiver usually is limited for a duration not exceeding a
specified number of years. 

     According to testimony of the DHS, this measure will allow
the Adult and Community Care Services Branch more flexibility as
to the type of personnel it needs to provide a continuum of

 
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services for eligible disabled individuals in the Medicaid waiver
home and community-based programs as well as state-funded
programs.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your
Committees on Health and Human Services and Labor and Environment
that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord
with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2852 and recommend that
it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Ways
and Means.

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



____________________________       ______________________________
BOB NAKATA, Chair                  SUZANNE CHUN OAKLAND, Chair

 
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