STAND. COM. REP. NO. 261

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2025

RE: H.B. No. 1081

H.D. 1

Honorable Nadine K. Nakamura

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2025

State of Hawaii

Madame:

Your Committee on Human Services & Homelessness, to which was referred H.B. No. 1081 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE OFFICE OF WELLNESS AND RESILIENCE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to:

(1) Transfer the Office of Wellness and Resilience to the Department of Human Resources Development on June 29, 2025;

(2) Create a Wellness and Resilience Advisory Board to advise on wellness and resilience through trauma-informed care in the State; and

(3) Update the functions of the Office of Wellness and Resilience.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Office of Wellness and Resilience; Department of Human Services; Department of Health; Department of Education; Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation; Executive Office on Early Learning; Mālama ‘Ohana Working Group; Catholic Charities Hawai‘i; Hawaiʻi Youth Services Network; and two individuals.

Your Committee finds that the Office of Wellness and Resilience leads efforts to make Hawaii a trauma-informed state by promoting policies that acknowledge and address the impacts of trauma. Strengthening trauma-informed programs can improve workforce retention and recruitment while fostering healthier workplaces. Given its role in collaborating with state agencies, the Office of Wellness and Resilience is best suited to operate under the Department of Human Resources Development, which oversees key areas such as workplace well-being, training, and professional development. To support this alignment, this measure transfers the Office of Wellness and Resilience to the Department of Human Resources Development for administrative purposes, establishes a Wellness and Resilience Advisory Board to advise on wellness and resilience through trauma-informed care in the State, and updates the Office's functions.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Changing the effective date to June 29, 3000, to encourage further discussion; and

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

Your Committee notes that in order to ensure a smooth transition of the Office of Wellness and Resilience to the Department of Human Resources Development, the effective date of this measure should be June 29, 2025. Your Committee therefore respectfully requests your Committee on Finance, should it deliberate on this measure, to consider that effective date.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Human Services & Homelessness that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1081, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1081, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Human Services & Homelessness,

____________________________

LISA MARTEN, Chair