STAND. COM. REP. NO.  271

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2017

RE:   H.B. No. 614

      H.D. 1

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2017

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committees on Human Services and Health, to which was referred H.B. No. 614 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO FALL PREVENTION,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funds for one full-time equivalent (1.00 FTE) Fall Prevention and Early Detection Coordinator position, which was established by Act 153, Session Laws of Hawaii 2014.

The City and County of Honolulu Department of Community Services, Maui County Office on Aging, AARP Hawaii, Hawaii Chapter of the American Physical Therapy Association, Injury Prevention Advisory Committee, Project Dana, International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 142, and several individuals testified in support of this measure.  The Department of Health commented on this measure.

     Your Committees have amended this measure by:

(1)  Amending the appropriation to an unspecified amount;

(2)  Changing its effective date to July 1, 2075, to facilitate further discussion; and

(3)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for clarity, consistency, and style.

Should the Committee on Finance hear this measure, your Committees respectfully request that it consider appropriating $95,000 for each year of the 2017-2019 fiscal biennium to fund the Fall Prevention and Early Detection Coordinator position.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Human Services and Health that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 614, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 614, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

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

____________________________ DELLA AU BELATTI, Chair

____________________________ DEE MORIKAWA, Chair