STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1740-08

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2008

RE:   S.B. No. 2151

      S.D. 2

      H.D. 1

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2008

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Finance, to which was referred S.B. No. 2151, S.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO LONG-TERM CARE OMBUDSMAN,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to:

     (1)  Expand the long-term care ombudsman program by adding three new local ombudsman positions, one each for the counties of Hawaii, Kauai, and Maui, and renaming the head of the Office of the Long-term Care Ombudsman the "State Long-term Care Ombudsman"; and

     (2)  Delete the consent requirement for divulging the records of residents of long-term care facilities.

     The Judiciary and Hawaii Government Employees Association, AFSCME Local 152, AFL-CIO, supported this bill.  The Executive Office on Aging provided comments.

     Your Committee has amended this bill by:

     (1)  Changing the effective date to July 1, 2020, to encourage further discussion; and

     (2)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for clarity, consistency, and style.

     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. 2151, S.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2151, S.D. 2, H.D. 1.

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

____________________________

MARCUS R. OSHIRO, Chair