Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2001

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Health, to which was referred H.B. No. 1305 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to appropriate funds for the Nursing Home Without Walls Program (Program).

Testimony in support of the intent of this measure was received from the Department of Human Services.

Your Committee recognizes that the Program was established in 1983 to prevent the premature institutionalization of disabled individuals. Since that time, this Program has proven to be a cost-effective means of accomplishing this feat.

However, your Committee further understands that although the Governor has included a funding increase for this Program in the executive budget, 120 individuals will continue to be on the waiting list for the Program's services. Moreover, your Committee realizes that approximately $760,000 increase in general funds for the Program will be needed to provide services to these individuals by the end of fiscal year 2002.

Your Committee has deemed this Program to be a successful program and, therefore, has amended this measure with a $1 appropriation to facilitate further discussion.

Other technical, nonsubstantive amendments were made for clarity and consistency.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1305, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1305, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.