STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2127

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 2228

       S.D. 1

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2014

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committees on Human Services, Health, and Commerce and Consumer Protection, to which was referred S.B. No. 2228 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO AGING,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

     (1)  Establish a Fall Prevention and Early Detection Coordinator position within the Department of Health;

     (2)  Remove civil service and collective bargaining hiring requirements for the Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementia Services Coordinator;

     (3)  Appropriate funds for the Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementia Services Coordinator and various kupuna programs and senior centers;

     (4)  Establish within the Executive Office on Aging and appropriate funds for an education and awareness campaign on long-term care;

     (5)  Establish and appropriate funds for a permanent prevention of elder abuse and fraud position within the Executive Office on Aging; and

     (6)  Appropriate funds for awareness and education of elder abuse, neglect, and fraud.

     Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Health; Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs; Executive Office on Aging; Office of the Mayor, City and County of Honolulu; Department of the Prosecuting Attorney, City and County of Honolulu; Maui County Office on Aging; Policy Advisory Board for Elder Affairs; AARP Hawaii; Catholic Charities Hawaii; Lanakila Meals on Wheels; Child and Family Service; Hawaii Family Caregiver Coalition; Injury Prevention Advisory Committee; Project Dana; Hawaii Fall Prevention Consortium; Moiliili Community Center; American Council of Life Insurers; Hawaii Healthy Aging Partnership; and fifty-two individuals.  Your Committees received comments on this measure from the Hawaii Government Employees Association.

     Your Committees find that it is important to support the needs of Hawaii's increasing elderly population.  Among the elderly in Hawaii, falls are the leading cause of fatal injuries and injury-related hospitalizations.  Hospital costs associated with falls total over $65,000,000 each year.  Your Committees further find that additional funding is needed to expand education and resources for not only fall prevention services, but also kupuna care and senior centers, elder abuse and fraud prevention services, and long-term care services.

     Your Committees have heard the testimony of the Hawaii Government Employees Association expressing concern that this measure, by making the Alzheimer's Disease and Related Services Coordinator position exempt from civil service and collective bargaining laws, unnecessarily expands the number of exempt employees and is inconsistent with the purpose of the civil service law.  Your Committees find that this issue raises concerns that merit further consideration.

     Your Committees have amended this measure by:

     (1)  Changing the appropriation amount for the kupuna care program from $9,000,000 to $4,200,000;

     (2)  Changing the appropriation amount for the aging and disability resource center from $1,900,000 to $427,937 to reflect the balance that the counties need to continue their aging and disability resource center operations and management information systems;

     (3)  Removing the language that would have created and appropriated funds for a prevention of elder abuse and fraud position within the Executive Office on Aging, and replacing it with language that establishes an Elder Justice Coordinator position and duties of the Coordinator and appropriates $70,000 for that purpose;

     (4)  Removing the appropriation for awareness and education of elder abuse, neglect, and fraud;

     (5)  Adding language establishing and appropriating funds for a Long-Term Support and Services System and Resource Development Coordinator within the Executive Office on Aging and establishing duties of the Coordinator; and

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

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Human Services, Health, and Commerce and Consumer Protection that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2228, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2228, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Human Services, Health, and Commerce and Consumer Protection,

____________________________ JOSH GREEN, Chair	____________________________ SUZANNE CHUN OAKLAND, Chair
	____________________________ ROSALYN H. BAKER, Chair