STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1581-22

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2022

RE: H.R. No. 83

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Health, Human Services, & Homelessness, to which was referred H.R. No. 83 entitled:

"HOUSE RESOLUTION URGING THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TO EMPLOY THE TEAM 6B CONTACT TRACING TEAM AS PERMANENT STAFF AND HIRE OTHER MEMBERS FROM THE NATIVE HAWAIIAN AND PACIFIC ISLANDER COMMUNITIES IN AN EFFORT TO ADDRESS THE HEALTH INEQUITIES THAT EXIST AND CREATE BETTER ACCESS TO CULTURALLY RELEVANT PROGRAMS FOR NATIVE HAWAIIANS AND PACIFIC ISLANDERS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to:

(1) Urge the Department of Health to employ the Team 6B contact tracing team as permanent staff and hire other members from the Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities in an effort to address the health inequities that exist and create better access to culturally relevant programs for Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders; and

(2) Request the Department of Health to create a diverse hiring plan and submit a report of its progress to the Legislature before the Regular Session of 2023.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander COVID-19 Hawai‘i Response, Recovery, and Resilience Team; and ten individuals.

Your Committee finds that the Department of Health created the Team 6B contact tracing team in October 2020 to provide critical outreach to Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islander communities that were disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Your Committee further finds that the work of Team 6B and the hiring of underserved and marginalized community members by the Department of Health proved successful in drastically decreasing the number of COVID-19 cases in the Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities. This measure urges the Department of Health to continue and expand its efforts to address the health inequities that exist for Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities and create better access to culturally relevant programs for these communities.

Your Committee has amended this measure by 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, Human Services, & Homelessness that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of H.R. No. 83, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to your Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs in the form attached hereto as H.R. No. 83, H.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Health, Human Services, & Homelessness,

____________________________

RYAN I. YAMANE, Chair