STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3295

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.C.R. No. 149

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2018

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Labor, Higher Education, and Human Services, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 149 entitled:

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR AND INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS AND THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII CENTER ON AGING TO CONVENE A WORKING GROUP TO REVIEW IN-HOME CARE SERVICES AND MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF CARE,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to request the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations and the University of Hawaii Center on Aging to convene a working group to review in-home care services and make recommendations to improve the quality of care.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from AARP Hawaii, ILWU Local 142, Caring Across Generations, Hawaii Alliance for Retired Americans, O‘ahu County Committee on Legislative Priorities of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i, and four individuals. Your Committees received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations and the University of Hawaii System. Your Committees received comments on this measure from the University of Hawaii Center on Aging.

Your Committees find that as Hawaii's population continues to age, more individuals are receiving in-home care services, making the occupation of home care worker one of the fastest growing jobs. Your Committees further find that home care workers in Hawaii are increasingly caring for highly complex client needs, including conditions such as dementia, severe and persistent mental illness, paraplegia, post-traumatic stress disorder, and multiple and complex chronic diseases which may require specialized training or certification to treat properly; therefore, it is important for the State to understand the correlation between caregiver pay, benefits, and training, and the quality of care provided in order to ensure quality care and make any needed improvements to the system.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Labor, Higher Education, and Human Services that are attached to this report, your Committees concur with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 149 and recommend that it be referred to your Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Labor, Higher Education, and Human Services,

________________________________ KAIALI'I KAHELE, Chair	________________________________ JILL N. TOKUDA, Chair
	________________________________ JOSH GREEN, Chair