STAND. COM. REP. NO.  498

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2017

RE:   H.B. No. 610

      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. 610 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT MAKING AN APPROPRIATION FOR THE OFFICE OF THE LONG-TERM CARE OMBUDSMAN PROGRAM,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funds for the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program on the island of Oahu and for contracted services through the Office of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman in the Counties of Hawaii, Kauai, and Maui.

The State Long Term Care Ombudsman, AARP, Kokua Council, International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 142, and numerous individuals testified in support of this measure.  The Executive Office on Aging commented on this measure.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1)  Changing the appropriation to unspecified amounts for each year of the 2017-2019 fiscal biennium;

(2)  Changing its effective date to July 1, 2075, to enable further discussion; and

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

Should the Committee on Finance further deliberate this measure, your Committee respectfully requests that it consider appropriating $150,000 for each year of the 2017-2019 fiscal biennium, to be distributed to the respective Offices of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman for each fiscal year, as follows:

(1)  $75,000 for the City and County of Honolulu;

(2)  $25,000 for the County of Hawaii;

(3)  $25,000 for the County of Kauai; and

(4)  $25,000 for the County of Maui.

     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. 610, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 610, 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