STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2404

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2819

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2018

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Public Safety, Intergovernmental, and Military Affairs and Human Services, to which was referred S.B. No. 2819 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT MAKING AN EMERGENCY APPROPRIATION TO THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to make an emergency appropriation to provide funds for the Department of Public Safety to reimburse the Department of Human Services for unexpected increased costs for specialty out-of-facility care and hospitalization of inmates for pharmacy services.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Public Safety.

Your Committees find that ensuring the health of inmates is essential for maintaining an appropriate corrections system and for promoting public welfare. Your Committees find that unexpected increased costs for specialty out-of-facility care and hospitalization of inmates and increased costs for pharmacy services have created a critical funding shortage that will prevent the Department of Public Safety from meeting its payment obligations to the Department of Human Services and its pharmacy services provider for the remainder of fiscal year 2017-2018. Consequently, your Committees find that it is necessary to make an emergency appropriation to provide the necessary additional funds for the Department of Public Safety to be able to reimburse the Department of Human Services for the increased costs of hospitalization and specialty out-of-facility care and to cover the increased costs of pharmacy services.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Public Safety, Intergovernmental, and Military Affairs and Human Services that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2819 and recommend that it pass Second Reading and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Public Safety, Intergovernmental, and Military Affairs and Human Services,

________________________________ JOSH GREEN, Chair

________________________________ CLARENCE K. NISHIHARA, Chair