STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3018

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2132

S.D. 2

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 2132, S.D. 1, entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to restore certain positions within the Department of Health that were previously deleted from its operating budget due to the impacts of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.

Specifically, this measure restores positions to the Department of Health's Adult Mental Health Division and appropriates moneys to fill those positions.

Your Committee received written comments in support of this measure from the Judiciary, Department of Health, Hawaii Substance Abuse Coalition, Hawaii Health and Harm Reduction Center, Hawaii Psychiatric Medical Association, Hawaii Medical Association, Hawaii Government Employees Association, and one individual.

Your Committee received written comments on this measure from the Department of Budget and Finance.

Your Committee finds that the positions being restored by this measure include social workers, mental health specialists, nursing staff, psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, security staff, and other workers who are critical for meeting the Adult Mental Health Division's mission of providing integrated mental health services to persons having serious mental illness who are uninsured or underinsured.

Your Committee has amended this measure by changing the amount of general funds appropriated to the Adult Mental Health – Outpatient (HTH420) and Adult Mental Health – Inpatient (HTH430) programs for fiscal year 2022-2023 to unspecified sums, to facilitate further discussion on the measure.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2132, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2132, S.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

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DONOVAN M. DELA CRUZ, Chair