STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1413

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2025

RE: S.B. No. 1252

S.D. 2

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 Higher Education, to which was referred S.B. No. 1252, S.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO DEMENTIA,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to require and appropriate funds for the Board of Regents of the University of Hawaii to establish a specialized training program to educate health care providers on caring for patients having Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the John A. Burns School of Medicine of the University of Hawaiʻi at Manoā; Alzheimer's Association – Hawaii; and three individuals.

Your Committee finds that many healthcare providers rarely receive specialized training on dementia. Standard training on dementia for healthcare providers is often minimal and consists only of basic information.

Your Committee further finds that the University of Hawaii at Manoa's John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii's Center for Aging, and University of Hawaii's Thompson School of Social Work and Public Health have been providing courses and actively engaging in educating and training students in Alzheimer's disease and dementia. Your Committee believes that additional staff positions are necessary to provide greater coordination between the various University of Hawaii programs in delivering training in caring for patients with Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia.

Your Committee has accordingly amended this measure by:

(1) Deleting language that would have required and appropriated funds for the Board of Regents of the University of Hawaii to establish a specialized training program to educate health care providers on caring for patients having Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia;

(2) Inserting language to appropriate funds to the University of Hawaii to establish positions for the University of Hawaii at Manoa John A. Burns School of Medicine's Department of Geriatric Medicine to provide coordination between the University of Hawaii's programs that provide training on Alzheimer's disease and dementia;

(3) Amending the preamble to reflect its amended purpose;

(4) Changing the effective date to July 1, 3000, to encourage further discussion; and

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

Your Committee respectfully requests your Committee on Finance, should it deliberate on this measure, to consider an appropriation amount of $525,000 to establish two full-time equivalent positions for the University of Hawaii at Manoa John A. Burns School of Medicine's Department of Geriatric Medicine to provide coordination between the University of Hawaii's programs that provide training on Alzheimer's disease and dementia.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Higher Education that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1252, S.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1252, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Higher Education,

____________________________

ANDREW TAKUYA GARRETT, Chair