STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1183-16

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2016

RE:   S.B. No. 2898

      S.D. 1

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2016

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committees on Labor & Public Employment and Human Services, to which was referred S.B. No. 2898, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT MAKING EMERGENCY APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE STATE TO COMPLY WITH THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funds to cover costs associated with departmental efforts to continue State compliance with the Federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, given the cessation of operations of the Hawaii Health Connector on December 4, 2015.

Specifically, this measure appropriates $1,651,510 to the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations and $3,790,929 to the Department of Human Services to support the transfer of certain Hawaii Health Connector functions, including reimbursing the departments for funds used in the ongoing maintenance and operation of the State's Medicaid eligibility and enrollment system.

Pursuant to requirements set forth in Article VII, Section 9, of the Hawaii State Constitution, the Governor, in Governor's Message No. 6 to the Legislature, requested immediate consideration and passage of this bill by the Legislature.

The Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, Department of Human Services, Chamber of Commerce Hawaii, Healthcare Association of Hawaii, and ILWU Local 142 testified in support of this measure.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Labor & Public Employment and Human Services that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2898, S.D. 1,  and recommend that it pass Second Reading and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Labor & Public Employment and Human Services,

____________________________ DEE MORIKAWA, Chair

____________________________ MARK M. NAKASHIMA, Chair