STAND. COM. REP. NO. 656

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 709

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2025

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Health and Human Services and Judiciary, to which was referred S.B. No. 709 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 with a 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 subject of the petition should be evaluated for assisted community treatment; and

(4) Appropriate funds.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Institute for Human Services, Inc.; Hawaii Substance Abuse Coalition; Hawaii Health Systems Corporation; and three individuals.

Your Committees received comments on this measure from the Judiciary and Department of Health.

Your Committees find that residents suffering from mental illness are especially vulnerable and in need of services. Your Committees further find that improved tracking of the usage of emergency and care services will allow service providers to best identify and address those in need of treatment. This measure requires the Department of Health lead the effort to improve information sharing of providers in the State's care system to deliver safe, coordinated care to some of the State's most vulnerable individuals.

Your Committees have amended this measure by:

(1) Changing the appropriation to an unspecified amount;

(2) Inserting an effective date of December 31, 2050; 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. 709, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 709, 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