STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1372
Honolulu, Hawaii
RE: H.B. No. 406
H.D. 2
S.D. 1
Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi
President of the Senate
Thirty-Second State Legislature
Regular Session of 2023
State of Hawaii
Sir:
Your Committees on Health and Human Services and Public Safety and Intergovernmental and Military Affairs, to which was referred H.B. No. 406, H.D. 2, entitled:
"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH,"
beg leave to report as follows:
The purpose and intent of this measure is to:
(1) Require the Department of Health and Oahu Regional Health Care System to develop a strategic plan for the utilization of all Oahu Regional Health Care System facilities and report to the Legislature before the Regular Session of 2024;
(2) Extend the deadline to assimilate the Daniel K. Akaka State Veterans Home from the Department of Defense to the Oahu Regional Health Care System to June 30, 2024; and
(3) Require the Oahu Regional Health Care System and the Department of Defense to provide a joint progress report to the Legislature regarding construction of and the hiring of an operator for the Daniel K. Akaka State Veterans Home before the Regular Session of 2024.
Your Committees find that the Daniel K. Akaka State Veterans Home (Veterans Home), a facility planned to provide long-term care for veterans, their spouses, and gold-star parents in the Kapolei area of the island of Oahu, has been under construction by the Department of Accounting and General Services and Department of Defense with an expected completion date of spring 2023. Your Committees further find that Act 285, Session Laws of Hawaii 2022, required the Veterans Home to be assimilated into the Oahu Regional Health Care System by June 30, 2023. Your Committees find however, that the effects of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has resulted in the expected completion date of Veterans Home being pushed back to sometime in 2024. This measure accommodates this unexpected delay by extending the assimilation deadline and requires a progress report on the construction of, and the hiring of an operator for, the Veterans Home.
Your Committees commend the efforts of the Department of Defense and Hawaii Health Systems Corporation Oahu Region in the execution of a Memorandum of Agreement pertaining to their responsibilities associated with the assimilation deadline. Your Committees note that this measure merely extends the assimilation deadline and does not require them to await completion of the assimilation if they are able to do so before the extended deadline provided by this measure.
Your Committees also acknowledge testimony of the Oahu Regional Health Care System regarding its proposed joint venture with the Emergency Medical Services Department of the City and County of Honolulu to help alleviate the waitlist issues being faced by acute care facilities throughout Oahu by repurposing unused space on its Leahi Hospital campus to provide medical services and transitional housing for certain lower acuity patients. Your Committees note the additional capital improvement funding request of $1,000,000 by the Oahu Regional Health Care System, which is its half of the total funds necessary to complete the construction of a transitional treatment and housing facility at the Leahi Hospital campus, with the remainder to be covered by the City and County of Honolulu. Therefore, amendments to this measure are necessary to accommodate this request.
Accordingly, your
Committees have amended this measure by:
(2) Amending
section 1 to reflect its amended purpose;
(3) Inserting an effective date of June 30, 2050, to encourage further discussion; and
(4) 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 Health and Human Services and Public Safety and Intergovernmental and Military Affairs that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 406, H.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 406, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Health and Human Services and Public Safety and Intergovernmental and Military Affairs,
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________________________________ GLENN WAKAI, Chair |
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________________________________ JOY A. SAN BUENAVENTURA, Chair |
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