STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3427

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    H.B. No. 2520

       H.D. 3

       S.D. 2

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2008

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred H.B. No. 2520, H.D. 3, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO CAREGIVERS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to support family caregivers by establishing a working group to explore various funding mechanisms that could potentially support family caregivers.

     The Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii, Retail Merchants of Hawaii, the Representative of the 38th Representative District, and two individuals submitted testimony in support of this measure.  The National Federation of Independent Businesses submitted testimony in opposition to this measure.  The Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, Hawaii Government Employees Association, Kokea Construction & Consultants, Inc., and Building Industry Association of Hawaii submitted comments.

     According to a recent needs assessment, more than twenty‑five per cent of Hawaii's households have at least one individual providing informal, unpaid care for an adult aged sixty or older with physical or cognitive disabilities.  This percentage is expected to increase as Hawaii's population ages.  The needs assessment also revealed that family caregivers have lower than expected income and that caregiving has negatively affected the employment of one quarter of family caregivers.  Your Committee finds that efforts must be made to find an appropriate means of providing financial support to family caregivers so that they can continue to provide essential caregiving services to their family members.

     Upon further consideration, your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Clarifying that the working group reports to the Joint Legislative Committee on Aging in Place and ceases to exist on June 30, 2009;

     (2)  Clarifying that the Joint Legislative Committee on Aging in Place, in lieu of the working group, shall submit a report to the Legislature prior to the 2009 Regular Session; and

     (3)  Making technical nonsubstantive changes for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

     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 H.B. No. 2520, H.D. 3, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2520, H.D. 3, S.D. 2.

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

____________________________

ROSALYN H. BAKER, Chair