STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2744

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 2885

       S.D. 1

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2014

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 2885 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO CORRECTIONAL HEALTH CARE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to authorize the Director of Public Safety to appoint, without regard to chapter 76, Hawaii Revised Statutes (civil service), the mental health branch administrator and the mental health section administrators of the Correctional Health Care Program.  

     Written comments in opposition were received from the Hawaii Government Employees Association.

     Your Committee finds that due to the unique nature of the correctional system and the sensitive nature of mental health services, the Director of Public Safety, as the overall administrator of the Correctional Health Care Program, is in the best position to appoint a qualified mental health branch administrator and mental health section administrators.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1)  Changing the effective date to July 1, 2050, to facilitate further discussion on the measure; and

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

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2885, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2885, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

____________________________

DAVID Y. IGE, Chair