STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3267

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    H.B. No. 1905

       H.D. 2

       S.D. 2

Honorable Shan S. Tsutsui

President of the Senate

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2012

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred H.B. No. 1905, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HUMAN SERVICES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to implement various measures to enhance health and social services and protect Hawaii's vulnerable populations.

Specifically, this measure:

     (1)  Authorizes the Department of Human Services to draw from other funds appropriated to the Department if appropriations for general assistance benefits payments are insufficient;

     (2)  Makes appropriations to fund various organizations providing health or social services;

     (3)  Appropriates funds to create positions to administer the Department of Human Services' Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program;

     (4)  Requires financial institutions to report suspected financial abuse against elders to the appropriate local law enforcement agency, rather than the Department of Human Services;

     (5)  Establishes the Hawaii Interagency Council on Homelessness to create a ten-year statewide plan to address homelessness in the State;

     (6)  Authorizes the Department of Human Services to post on its public website information on the National Human Trafficking Resource Center hotline;

     (7)  Establishes a task force to create a comprehensive plan to coordinate services for survivors of human trafficking;

     (8)  Appropriates funds to increase payments for primary care physician services for children and pregnant women covered under the Children's Health Insurance Program to equal the reimbursement provided to medicaid recipients;

     (9)  Requires the Department of Human Services to:  collaborate with various providers to revise the methodology for determining the level of acuity for medicaid nursing facility residents and setting reimbursement rates; and work with the Department of Health to develop a referral system for the discharge of patients based upon acuity levels; and

     (10) Requires all health care insurers operating in Hawaii to share with the Department of Human Services a listing of their memberships to determine medicaid eligibility.

     Your Committee received written comments in support of this measure from the Department of Human Services, Department of Health, Catholic Charities Hawaii, Healthcare Association of Hawaii, Imua Alliance, Hawaii Medical Association, Legal Aid Society of Hawaii, and one individual.  Written comments on this measure were received from the City and County of Honolulu - Department of the Prosecuting Attorney.

     Your Committee finds that this measure will help ensure and improve access to social and health care services, provide funding to maintain programs that are essential to the public welfare, and address the needs of Hawaii's most vulnerable populations.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Deleting the requirement that financial institutions use electronic mail to submit written reports of suspected financial abuse of an elder, and restoring the current language that simply requires a written report to be sent within five business days;

     (2)  Clarifying that the continuum of care members of the Interagency Council on Homelessness shall be representatives from the Continuum of Care Networks from:

          (A)  The City and County of Honolulu; and

          (B)  The Counties of Maui, Kauai, and Hawaii;

          who are requested by the Governor to serve on the Council;

     (3)  Clarifying that the State Ethics law shall not apply to members of the Interagency Council on Homelessness solely because of the member's participation as a member of the Council; and

     (4)  Making technical nonsubstantive amendments 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. 1905, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1905, H.D. 2, S.D. 2.

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

____________________________

DAVID Y. IGE, Chair