CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REP. NO. 156-08

Honolulu, Hawaii

                 , 2008

RE:    S.B. No. 3255

       S.D. 2

       H.D. 2

       C.D. 1

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2008

State of Hawaii

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2008

State of Hawaii

Madam and Sir:

     Your Committee on Conference on the disagreeing vote of the Senate to the amendments proposed by the House of Representatives in S.B. No. 3255, S.D. 2, H.D. 2, entitled:

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

having met, and after full and free discussion, has agreed to recommend and does recommend to the respective Houses the final passage of this bill in an amended form.

     The purpose of this measure is to establish a Long Term Care Commission (Commission) to determine what resources are necessary to meet state long term care public policy goals, and recommend a program and funding mechanism to provide long term care services.  The measure also appropriates funds for the Commission.

     Your Committee on Conference has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Amending its purpose section to include additional findings, and its purpose clause to include the establishment of long term care policy goals and guiding principles, in addition to the establishment of the  Commission;

     (2)  Reorganizing and modifying existing language to set forth long term care policy goals of the State of Hawaii;

     (3)  Stating that the development of a long term care system in Hawaii should be guided by certain principles, and reorganizing and modifying existing language to set the principles forth;

     (4)  Adding five non-voting, ex-officio members of the Commission who are the directors of the following departments or their designees: the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, the Department of Health, the Department of Human Services, the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, and the Department of Taxation;

     (5)  Amending membership criteria;

     (6)  Adding that Commission members should be appointed as soon as practicable, but by no later than September 30, 2008;

     (7)  Adding language to set forth how vacancies shall be filled, what constitutes a quorum, and that members shall serve without compensation other than for necessary expenses incurred in the performance of Commission duties;

     (8)  Adding language stating that the University of Hawaii College of Social Sciences Public Policy Center shall convene the first Commission meeting as soon as practicable but by no later than November 1, 2008;

     (9)  Providing that any contract executed with a third party to conduct a study shall be approved by the Commission in an open meeting;

     (10) Modifying the content of the interim and final Commission reports;

     (11) Adding an expiry date for the Commission of November 30, 2010;

     (12) Adding an appropriation amount of $100,000 to section 5;

     (13) Changing its effective date to July 1, 2008; and

     (14) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the managers of your Committee on Conference that is attached to this report, your Committee on Conference is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 3255, S.D. 2, H.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Final Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 3255, S.D. 2, H.D. 2, C.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the managers:

ON THE PART OF THE HOUSE

ON THE PART OF THE SENATE

____________________________ JOSHUA B. GREEN, M.D., Co-Chair	____________________________ SUZANNE CHUN OAKLAND, Chair
____________________________ MAILE SHIMABUKURO, Co-Chair	____________________________ ROSALYN H. BAKER, Co-Chair
____________________________ JERRY L. CHANG, Co-Chair
____________________________ MARILYN B. LEE, Co-Chair