STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1313

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: H.B. No. 943

H.D. 1

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2025

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Health and Human Services, to which was referred H.B. No. 943, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HOMELESSNESS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to expand existing crisis intervention programs by requiring, and appropriating funds for, the Department of Health to establish a Homeless Triage and Treatment Center Program within its Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division to serve homeless individuals and individuals at risk of homelessness with substance abuse issues or mental illness.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Health; State Health Planning and Development Agency; Department of Law Enforcement; Office of the Public Defender; State Council on Mental Health; Office of Housing and Community Development of the County of Hawaiʻi; Hawaii Substance Abuse Coalition; Hawaiʻi Health & Harm Reduction Center; Waikiki Neighborhood Board; National Alliance on Mental Illness Hawaii; Ohana Unity Party; Hawaiʻi Psychological Association; The Institute for Human Services, Inc.; and nine individuals.

Your Committee received comments on this measure from Waikiki Health.

Your Committee finds that the lack of triage and treatment services has been a major gap in the State's system of behavioral health care for homeless persons and others with mental illness or substance use disorders. Your Committee believes that when a person is ready and seeking treatment, they should be able to access the needed care immediately, especially for those who suffer from substance use disorders and for whom the window of contemplation about the benefits of treatment is often brief and fleeting. By implementing structured triage and treatment, this measure helps ensure that individuals receive the appropriate level of care before crises escalate.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Deleting its legislative findings;

(2) Inserting language to amend existing law governing the Crisis Intervention and Diversion Services Program to clarify that:

(A) The Program:

(i) Shall redirect certain homeless persons to the appropriate health care system and services; and

(ii) May include intensive mobile outreach services; and

(B) Any appropriation for the Program shall be used only for services contracted directly between the Department of Health and the service provider;

(3) Clarifying that the appropriations made by this measure are to implement this measure; and

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

Your Committee notes that this measure contains an unspecified appropriation 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 $5,900,000 to implement this measure.

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 H.B. No. 943, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 943, H.D. 1, 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