STAND. COM. REP. NO. 146

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2019

RE: H.B. No. 1597

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2019

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Health, to which was referred H.B. No. 1597 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO MENTAL HEALTH,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funds to the Department of Health for the establishment of a long-term care facility that admits and treats non-forensic mental health patients for in-patient or out-patient temporary case management with priority given to homeless patients.

Hawai‘i Pacific Health, The Queen's Health Systems, The Democratic Party of Hawai‘i, Mental Health Kokua, O‘ahu County Committee on Legislative Priorities of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i, and several concerned individuals supported this measure. The Governor's Coordinator on Homelessness, Department of Health, and Hawaii Disability Rights Center provided comments.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Clarifying that the funds are to be used for the assessment, planning, and design of the long-term care facility;

(2) Removing the priority for homeless patients;

(3) Changing the appropriation to an unspecified amount; and

(4) Changing the effective date to July 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1597, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1597, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Health,

____________________________

JOHN M. MIZUNO, Chair