STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2210

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 3052

       S.D. 1

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2008

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Human Services and Public Housing, to which was referred S.B. No. 3052 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO COMMUNITY CARE FOSTER FAMILY HOMES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to provide incentive for operators of community care foster family homes to make upgrades that will increase the capacity for cost-effective home and community-based services for elderly and disabled Medicaid clients.

     Specifically, this measure establishes a program to provide grants up to a maximum of $25,000 per recipient, to assist operators of community care foster family homes, to make the home upgrades necessary to accommodate up to three Medicaid clients in the home.

     Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the Department of Human Services.

     Your Committee finds that this grant program will assist community care foster family homes in providing citizens in need of nursing home level of care with choices that allow them to receive that level of care in the community rather than in institutions.

     Your Committee further finds that this program will ultimately support the deinstitutionalizing of elderly and disabled Medicaid clients from hospitals and into home and community-based services.

     The Department of Human Services has suggested to your Committee several amendments for clarity.

     Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Requiring the time limit for various acts to be based on a time period determined by the award of the grant, rather than the actual completion of the home upgrades;

     (2)  Amending the definition for "eligible upgrades" to include all safety measures; and

     (3)  Including actions taken in order to accommodate a third client within the scope of the measure.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Human Services and Public Housing that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 3052, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 3052, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Human Services and Public Housing,

____________________________

SUZANNE CHUN OAKLAND, Chair