STAND. COM. REP. NO. 557-18

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2018

RE: H.B. No. 1761

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2018

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Health & Human Services, to which was referred H.B. No. 1761 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HOMELESSNESS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to address homelessness and the effects caused by homelessness on the health care sector, particularly emergency rooms, by establishing a pilot program to place social workers and social worker designees in emergency departments to identify patients experiencing homelessness or patients at risk of experiencing homelessness, assess the patients' current circumstances, and refer those patients to appropriate and available social services.

The Governor's Coordinator on Homelessness, Oahu County Committee on Legislative Priorities of the Democratic Party of Hawaii, The Queen's Health Systems, and National Association of Social Workers-Hawaii testified in support of this measure. The Department of Health provided comments.

Your Committee notes the concerns raised by the National Association of Social Workers-Hawaii that it is unclear as to what specific level of social worker should be placed in emergency rooms as part of this pilot program and that the term "social services designee" should be used instead of "social worker designee" which is the term used in the professional field. While your Committee understands these concerns, your Committee finds that they should be discussed in greater detail as the measure makes its way through the legislative process and that future amendments can be made to this measure to address these concerns.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Providing that the assessments and identification of homeless individuals, or those at risk of experiencing homelessness, and referrals of these individuals to appropriate social services be carried out by multidisciplinary teams rather than only by social workers or social worker designees;

(2) Defining "multidisciplinary teams" as a team of physicians, advanced practice registered nurses, social workers, social worker designees, patient navigators, and other individuals necessary to identify individuals experiencing, or at risk of experiencing, homelessness and provide individualized assessments and referrals for social services;

(3) Changing its effective date to July 1, 3000, to facilitate further discussion; and

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

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health & Human Services that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1761, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1761, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

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

____________________________

JOHN M. MIZUNO, Chair