STAND. COM. REP. NO.  599

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2017

RE:   H.B. No. 607

      H.D. 1

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2017

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Human Services, to which was referred H.B. No. 607 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO KUPUNA CARE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to:

(1)  Direct the Executive Office on Aging to establish the Kupuna Caregivers Program (Program) to provide long-term services and supports to address the needs of adults 60 years and older in the State and their desire to remain in their own homes and communities as they age; and

(2)  Appropriate funds to establish and implement the Program.

The Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women; Hawaii Pacific Health; Healthcare Association of Hawaii; Mental Health America of Hawaii; Hawaii Appleseed Center for Law & Economic Justice; Hawaii Family Caregiver Coalition; Policy Advisory Board for Elder Affairs; AARP Hawaii; AARP; International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 142; Alzheimer's Association, Aloha Chapter; We Are One, Inc.; Caring Across Generations; Faith Action for Community Equity; Manoa Cottage and Manoa Cottage Kaimuki; Paraprofessional Healthcare Institute; and numerous individuals testified in support of this measure.  The Executive Office on Aging and several individuals provided comments on this measure.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1)  Amending the definitions of "activities of daily living"; "adult day care" or "adult day health"; "assisted transportation"; "care recipient"; "chore"; "homemaker"; "kupuna care core services"; "personal care"; and "respite care";

(2)  Defining "home delivered meals";

(3)  Deleting the definition of "qualified individual";

(4)  Amending the traditional service delivery option to clarify that it shall be provided by a service provider organization or person who provides services under a formal contractual arrangement with the Executive Office on Aging or the area agency on aging;

(5)  Amending the qualifications for participation in the Kupuna Care Program to require that the participant shall not be covered by any comparable government or private home- and community-based care and to clarify the types of facilities that a participant may not be a resident of;

(6)  Deleting provisions that delineate what participant actions may result in termination of services under the Kupuna Care Program;

(7)  Changing the appropriation amount to an unspecified amount;

(8)  Changing its effective date to July 1, 2075, to encourage further discussion on this measure; and

(9)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for clarity, consistency, and style.

     Should the Committee on Finance further deliberate on this measure, your Committee respectfully requests that it consider appropriating $600,000 for fiscal year 2017-2018 and $600,000 for fiscal year 2018-2019 to establish and implement the Kupuna Caregivers Program

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Human Services that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 607, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 607, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

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

____________________________

DEE MORIKAWA, Chair