STAND. COM. REP. NO. 278

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 1242

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2021

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Health, to which was referred S.B. No. 1242 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO TRAUMA-INFORMED CARE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to establish a trauma-informed care task force within the Department of Health to make recommendations of trauma-informed care in the State.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Health, Hawaii Youth Services Network, Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Hawai‘i Primary Care Association, Hawai‘i Pacific Health, Kinai ‘Eha, Hawaii Substance Abuse Coalition, Kamehameha Schools, Imua Alliance, Hawaii Children's Action Network Speaks!, Hawai‘i Community Foundation, and nine individuals. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Human Services and Executive Office on Early Learning.

Your Committee finds that adverse childhood events (ACEs; abuse or dysfunction in childhood) have harmful effects on health care spending, health care utilization, poorly controlled chronic illness, obesity, substance abuse, smoking, and other risk factors later in life. Your Committee further finds that trauma-informed approaches to health and human service systems of care from other states demonstrate improvements in organizational culture, availability and uptake of evidence-based treatments, use of trauma informed practices, and improvements in staff and caregiver knowledge and attitudes. This measure establishes a trauma-informed care task force within the Department of Health to implement a similar trauma-informed approach to health and human services in the State.

Your Committee recognizes the testimony of the Department of Health and other testifiers, which recommend adding certain personnel to the trauma-informed care task force. Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Adding and removing from the trauma-informed care task force, certain members of the community;

(2) Requiring the task force's framework to include an implementation and sustainability plan; and

(3) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

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 S.B. No. 1242, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1242, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

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

________________________________

JARRETT KEOHOKALOLE, Chair