STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2423

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2465

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2024

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Health and Human Services and Judiciary, to which was referred S.B. No. 2465 entitled:

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

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Require the Department of Health to track and publicly report certain data relating to crisis reports, emergency mental health transports, and court-ordered treatments;

(2) Require the Department of Health to respond to reports about persons having severe mental illness who are in need of assistance, assess whether those persons fulfill criteria for assisted community treatment, and coordinate the process for an assisted community treatment order if indicated;

(3) Establish that a court's denial of a petition for involuntary commitment shall serve as notification to the Department of Health that the person should be evaluated for assisted community treatment; and

(4) Make appropriations.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Health; Disability and Communication Access Board; Hawaii Substance Abuse Coalition; Institute for Human Services, Inc.; and three individuals.

Your Committees received testimony in opposition to this measure from one individual.

Your Committees received comments on this measure from the Hawaii Disability Rights Center.

Your Committees find that there are many treatments available for psychological disabilities and that like many conditions, the sooner treatment is provided, the more successful the outcome. Crisis intervention centers could benefit from stronger data collection processes to maximize the benefits and development of crisis intervention services. This measure will help establish baseline metrics and improve and extend treatment for individuals with mental health issues.

Your Committees note that this measure, as currently drafted, contains an appropriation for an unspecified amount for the Department of Health to develop and implement educational and training activities for certain policies and respectfully requests that if your Committee on Ways and Means chooses to deliberate on this measure that it consider the figure most appropriate to accomplish its intended purpose. Your Committees further note that this measure references sections of existing law that are scheduled to repeal and in order to preserve these provisions, amendments to this measure are necessary to address this concern.

Accordingly, your Committees have amended this measure by:

(1) Repealing the sunset date of June 30, 2024, for sections 334-161 and 334-162, Hawaii Revised Statutes, in Act 111, Session Laws of Hawaii 2017;

(2) Inserting an effective date of December 31, 2050, to encourage further discussion; and

(3) 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 Judiciary that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2465, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2465, 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 Judiciary,

________________________________ KARL RHOADS, Chair

________________________________ JOY A. SAN BUENAVENTURA, Chair