STAND

STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1572

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2005

RE: S.B. No. 1772

S.D. 1

H.D. 2

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2005

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Finance, to which was referred S.B. No. 1772, S.D. 1, H.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EMPLOYERS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to protect taxpayers and employees who do not receive full health care coverage by enabling the State to determine which employers are shifting the responsibility of providing health care coverage for their employees to publicly funded medical assistance programs. Specifically, this bill:

(1) Requires each applicant for medical assistance to identify the employer of the proposed beneficiary of medical assistance;

(2) Requires the Department of Human Services (DHS) to submit an annual report to the Legislature identifying all employers who employ 25 or more beneficiaries of medical assistance programs administered by DHS; and

(3) Requires this report to be made available to the public.

The Hawaii Government Employees Association, Hawaii State AFL-CIO, and two concerned individuals testified in support of this bill. DHS and the Employers' Chamber of Commerce opposed this measure. The Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs and the Department of the Attorney General offered comments.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Finance that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1772, S.D. 1, H.D. 2, and recommends that it pass Third Reading.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Finance,

		____________________________ DWIGHT TAKAMINE, Chair