STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2582

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2470

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2024

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Health and Human Services, to which was referred S.B. No. 2470 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE HAWAI'I HEALTH AGING PARTNERSHIP,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to make an appropriation to the Executive Office on Aging of the Department of Health for the Hawaiʻi Healthy Aging Partnership.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Executive Office on Aging, Policy Advisory Board for Elder Affairs, County of Hawaiʻi Office on Aging, YMCA of Honolulu, Hawaiʻi Family Caregiver Coalition, AARP Hawaiʻi, and over one hundred twenty individuals.

Your Committee finds that the Hawaiʻi Healthy Aging Partnership was established in 2003 to improve the health status of older adults by empowering residents to make healthy decisions and engage in healthier lifestyles. Your Committee further finds that the partnership has been relying on its appropriation from fiscal year 2019-2020 to maintain certain program activities. Limited funding for the partnership inhibits programs from continuing and expanding to meet the needs of kupuna across the State. This measure makes a necessary appropriation to the Hawaiʻi Healthy Aging Partnership to continue to improve the health and well-being of the State's kupuna.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Inserting an unspecified appropriation amount; and

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

Your Committee notes that this measure, as amended, contains an appropriation for an unspecified amount. Should your Committee on Ways and Means choose to deliberate on this measure, your Committee respectfully requests that it consider inserting an appropriation amount of $600,000 for fiscal year 2024-2025.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health and Human Services that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2470, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2470, 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 and Human Services,

________________________________

JOY A. SAN BUENAVENTURA, Chair