STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2268

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 2898

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2016

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Human Services, to which was referred S.B. No. 2898 entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to make an emergency appropriation for fiscal year 2015-2016 to reimburse the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations and the Department of Human Services for costs incurred to comply with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Human Services, Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, Office of Enterprise Technology Services, Chamber of Commerce Hawaii, and International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 142.

     Your Committee finds that the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations and the Department of Human Services used fiscal year 2015-2016 operating funds to cover expenses for the maintenance of the Medicaid eligibility application of the Department of Human Services enterprise system and for the transition of the functions of the Hawaii Health Connector to the State to enable Hawaii to be compliant with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010.  The Departments need to be reimbursed for the funds used to be able to perform their mandated responsibilities and functions during fiscal year 2015-2016 and to continue to make health care payments for Medicaid recipients.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Human Services that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2898 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to your Committees on Judiciary and Labor and Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Human Services,

________________________________

SUZANNE CHUN OAKLAND, Chair