STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1348-08

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2008

RE:   S.B. No. 2830

      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 Legislative Management, to which was referred S.B. No. 2830, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO CAREGIVING,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to ensure the necessary community resources for caregivers by, among other things:

(1)  Extending the work of the Joint Legislative Committee on Family Caregiving to June 30, 2009, and changing its name to the Joint Legislative Committee on Aging in Place (Committee);

(2)  Expanding the Committee's mandate to include aging-in- place issues as they relate to family caregiving;

(3)  Requiring the Hawaii Aging and Disability Resource Center to provide an update on the implementation of its physical site in the County of Hawaii and its virtual site in the City and County of Honolulu;

(4)  Requiring the Committee to design a cash and counseling project for non-Medicaid participants and appropriating unspecified funds for this purpose;

(5)  Authorizing the Kupuna Care Program to include emergency, overnight, and weekend respite services as well as provide grants to caregivers and for home modifications that facilitate aging in place;

(6)  Appropriating unspecified funds to the Executive Office on Aging (EOA) for the Kupuna Care Program;

(7)  Establishing a Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Task Force to focus on the needs and issues of grandparents raising grandchildren;

(8)  Appropriating unspecified funds to EOA to continue its respite-care inventory project; and

(9)  Increasing the maximum state supplemental payment from $641.90 to $686.83 for adult residential care homes classified as facility type I and from $749.90 to $802.39 for adult residential care homes classified as facility type II, and appropriating unspecified funds for this purpose.

     The following testified in support of this bill: State Council on Developmental Disabilities, Disability and Communication Access Board, Department of Community Services of the City and County of Honolulu, Kokua Council, Policy Advisory Board for Elder Affairs, AARP, Hawaii Alliance for Retired Americans, Hawaii Aging Advocates Coalition, Catholic Charities Hawaii, Hawaii Coalition of Caregivers, ILWU Local 142, National Multiple Sclerosis Society, United Group of Home Operators, Filipino American Citizens League, Filipino Coalition for Solidarity, National Federation of Filipino American Associations Region XII, Nursing Advocates & Mentors, Inc., Oahu Filipino Community Council, Philippine Nurses Association-Hawaii, United Filipino Council of Hawaii, Congress of Visayan Organizations, Home and Community Services, Adult Foster Home Association, and several individuals.  The Department of Human Services opposed this measure, and EOA offered comments.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Legislative Management that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2830, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, and recommends that it be referred to the Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Legislative Management,

____________________________

MICHAEL Y. MAGAOAY, Chair