STAND. COM. REP. NO. 789

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 914

       S.D. 2

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 914, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES OF COMMITTED PERSONS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funds to improve the mental health care system for committed persons in state-operated correctional facilities.

     Your Committee received comments supporting the measure from a concerned citizen.

This measure also requires the Department to report to the Legislature by November 1, 2007, with a detailed mental health plan that addresses the following:

     (1)  An assessment of the Department's existing resources and staffing that is in place, additional resources and staffing needed to come up to standard, and the Department's needs to keep up with future demands;

     (2)  The use of alternative services, such as the use of telemedicine to provide mental health services to incarcerated offenders;

     (3)  The completion of a departmental training and policy manual;

     (4)  An appropriate updated record keeping system;

     (5)  An update on the feasibility study initiated by the Departments of Health and Public Safety regarding the expansion of the Hawaii State Hospital to include an offender wing to adequately treat mental health patients who are incarcerated; and

     (6)  Any other suggestions or ideas to improve mental health services to incarcerated individuals and to comply with local, state, and federal laws and mandates.

     Your Committee believes that this measure is necessary to improve the mental health care system for committed persons in state-operated correctional facilities.

     Your Committee has amended this measure to change the $500,000 appropriated amount to an unspecified amount for the purpose of facilitating further discussion.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 914, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 914, S.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

____________________________

ROSALYN H. BAKER, Chair