STAND. COM. REP. NO. 754

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 503

       S.D. 2

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2017

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 503, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO VICTIMS OF SEXUAL VIOLENCE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to require insurance coverage for appropriate, related case management services by qualified mental health providers for victims of sexual violence and abuse who suffer from mental illness.

     The Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women; American Association of University Women of Hawaii; Community Alliance on Prisons; Epic-Interventions, LLC; Hawaii Psychological Association; Hawaii Women's Coalition; IMUAlliance; National Association of Social Workers; Parents And Children Together; Planned Parenthood Votes Northwest and Hawaii; The Sex Abuse Treatment Center; YWCA Oahu; and one individual submitted comments in support of this measure.

     The Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs; the Department of Human Services; Domestic Violence Action Center; and Hawaii Medical Service Association provided comments on the measure.

Your Committee finds that sexual violence and abuse can have severe and lasting impacts on victims' emotional and mental health.  Consequently, many victims have complex mental health problems that require clinical case management services by qualified mental health providers, in addition to psychotherapy.  Your Committee also finds that it can be difficult for victims of sexual violence and abuse to obtain appropriate mental health services due to the limited availability of qualified service providers who are able to take on complex mental health cases.  Your Committee further finds that clinical case management services are not generally covered by health insurers.  This means that clinical case management services are often an unreimbursed expense, thus discouraging providers from accepting these complex cases.  Your Committee believes that this measure would improve mental health services availability for victims of sexual violence and abuse.

     Section 23-51, Hawaii Revised Statutes, requires that before any legislative measure that mandates health insurance coverage for specific health services can be considered, the Legislature must first adopt a concurrent resolution that requests the Auditor to prepare and submit to the Legislature a report that assesses both the social and financial effects of the proposed mandated coverage.  Your Committee notes that the Legislature still needs to adopt such a concurrent resolution regarding the coverage mandated by this measure.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by changing its effective date to June 1, 2050, to facilitate further discussion.

     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. 503, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 503, S.D. 2.

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

________________________________

JILL N. TOKUDA, Chair