STAND. COM. REP. NO. 888

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 1525

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2019

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health and Judiciary, to which was referred S.B. No. 1525 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HOME CARE AGENCIES,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to make permanent the licensure requirements for home care agencies licensed by the Department of Health.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Health and one individual.

Your Committees find that home care agencies provide an important service to independent but elderly or disabled persons by providing home-based non-health care services that enable those persons to remain in their homes. Existing licensure requirements for home care agencies include background checks on home care operators and workers and require caregivers to receive instructions and oversight from the home care agency supervisor. Your Committees note that the current statutory requirement for licensure for home care agencies is set to be repealed on June 30, 2019. Your Committees further find that in order to safeguard the health, safety, and welfare of home care clientele, the Department of Health's current licensure requirements for home care agencies should be retained and made permanent.

Your Committees have amended this measure by making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health and Judiciary that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1525, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1525, S.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health and Judiciary,

________________________________ KARL RHOADS, Chair

________________________________ ROSALYN H. BAKER, Chair