STAND. COM. REP. NO. 448

                                   Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                     , 1999

                                   RE:  S.B. No. 994
                                        S.D. 1




Honorable Norman Mizuguchi
President of the Senate
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 1999
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Health and Human Services, to which was
referred S.B. No. 994 entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO DEPENDENT ADULT AND ELDER
     ABUSE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to establish a temporary
elder abuse review commission.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure
from the Department of Human Services (DHS), Department of
Commerce and Consumer Affairs (DCCA), Executive Office on Aging,
Department of the Prosecuting Attorney of the City and County of
Honolulu, American Association of Retired Persons, ILWU, Policy
Advisory Board on Elder Affairs, and a private citizen.

     Your Committee finds that the frail and elderly dependent
adult segment of Hawaii's elderly population is particularly
vulnerable to abuse, neglect, and exploitation.  Abuse crimes
such as physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, financial
exploitation, neglect, abandonment, and self-neglect are all too
common but not often reported to authorities.  This measure is
intended to study and analyze the issues and resources relating
to elder and dependent adult abuse.  Your Committee hopes that
the findings and recommendations of the elder and dependent adult
abuse review commission can provide remedies to the problem.


 
a                                                     SB994 SD1  
 
                                   STAND. COM. REP. NO. 448
                                   Page 2


     Your Committee has amended this bill on recommendation of
the DHS and DCCA, as follows:

     (1)  Changing all references to "elder abuse" to "elder and
          dependent adult abuse";

     (2)  Substituting the DCCA for the office of consumer
          protection for representation on the commission;

     (3)  Combining the legal services representation into one
          organization providing legal services to elders; and

     (4)  Requiring representation on the commission from the
          Protection and Advocacy Agency of Hawaii and the
          Commission on Persons with Disabilities.

     Your Committee has also made technical, nonsubstantive
amendments for purposes of clarity and style.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
 Committee on Health and Human Services that is attached to this
report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose
of S.B. No. 994, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass
Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 994,
S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

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



                                   ______________________________
                                   SUZANNE CHUN OAKLAND, Chair

 
a                                                     SB994 SD1