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THE SENATE |
S.C.R. NO. |
136 |
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TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2007 |
S.D. 1 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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SENATE CONCURRENT
RESOLUTION
URGING THE GOVERNOR TO APPOINT AN INTERIM DIRECTOR FOR THE EXECUTIVE OFFICE ON AGING UNTIL A PERMANENT DIRECTOR IS APPOINTED.
WHEREAS, the federal Older Americans Act:
(1) Declares that it is the duty of governments in the United States to assist older adults in securing their physical and mental well-being;
(2) Establishes the Administration on Aging to support the nation’s elderly; and
(3) Provides resources for local programs to effectuate this purpose; and
WHEREAS, each state is required to designate a lead agency to fulfill the mandates of the Older Americans Act, and in Hawaii, it is the Executive Office on Aging that provides that leadership on behalf of 224,000 Hawaii residents age sixty years and older; and
WHEREAS, the Executive Office on Aging managed $13.5 million in federal and state funds to serve elderly clients statewide through its various programs and allocations to the county offices on aging, which in turn, plan, coordinate, and provide direct services to older adults in the local communities; and
WHEREAS, pursuant to section 349-2, Hawaii Revised Statutes, the Governor is responsible for nominating and appointing a Director of the Executive Office on Aging to, among other things, advise the Governor on new legislation, programs, and policy initiatives, and conduct the liaisons necessary to implement them; and
WHEREAS, the Director of the Executive Office on Aging also:
(1) Serves as the principal official in state government solely responsible for the performance, development, and control of programs, policies, and activities on behalf of elders;
(2) Conducts advocacy efforts for elders; and
(3) Submits the State Plan on Aging to the United States Assistant Secretary for Aging that must be submitted by July 2007, for the State to be eligible for federal funds; and
WHEREAS, in spite of a reported offer from the former director to serve in the interim until a permanent director is selected, the position of Director of the Executive Office on Aging has been vacant since December 5, 2006; and
WHEREAS, this vacancy has left the Executive Office on Aging without a leader for state policies on aging, coordination of staff functions in the office, and management of the office’s legally-mandated state and federal responsibilities; and
WHEREAS, the four-month absence of the Director of the Executive Office on Aging has been conspicuous at the Legislature where dozens of measures were and are being discussed without significant policy advice from the Director of the Executive Office on Aging, and without the Director’s partnership with the Legislature’s Kupuna Caucus and the Joint Legislative Committee on Family Caregiving; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-Fourth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2007, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Governor is urged to immediately appoint an interim director for the Executive Office on Aging until a permanent director is appointed; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Governor is requested to facilitate the timely appointment of a qualified permanent director for the Executive Office on Aging; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, Administrative Director of the State, Director of Health, Chair of the Policy Advisory Board on Elderly Affairs, and the United States Assistant Secretary for Aging.
Executive Office on Aging; Interim Director