STAND.
COM. REP. NO. 159-20
Honolulu, Hawaii
, 2020
RE: H.B. No. 2110
H.D. 1
Honorable Scott K. Saiki
Speaker, House of Representatives
Thirtieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 2020
State of Hawaii
Sir:
Your Committee on Health, to which was referred H.B. No. 2110 entitled:
"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH,"
begs leave to report as follows:
The purpose of this measure is to:
(1) Mandate the Department of Health (DOH) to investigate reports that a care facility is being operated without the required certificates or licenses;
(2) Include social workers, navigators, and individual discharge planners in the group of health care providers who are prohibited from knowingly referring or transferring patients to uncertified or unlicensed care facilities; and
(3) Repeal the provisions that a landlord, under specified conditions, shall not be deemed to be providing home care services or operating a care facility that requires a license.
Your Committee finds that the Department of Health aims to ensure quality of care by requiring all residential care homes to be licensed. The enforcement activities conducted by the Department are a critical component of the State's efforts to ensure the health, safety, and welfare of the State's kupuna. This measure is intended to assist the Department with these goals.
Your Committee has amended this measure by:
(1) Removing language that would have mandated the Department of Health to investigate care facilities suspected of operating without the required certification or license and take action upon investigation, and thus retaining existing statutory language that made this authority permissive;
(2) Clarifying that the group of professionals prohibited from knowingly referring or transferring patients to an unlicensed care facility includes any person, corporation, or other entity;
(3) Changing its effective date to July 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion; and
(4) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.
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. 2110, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2110, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Health,
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____________________________ JOHN M. MIZUNO, Chair |
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