STAND. COM. REP. NO. 428-22

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2022

RE: H.B. No. 1824

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Health, Human Services, & Homelessness, to which was referred H.B. No. 1824 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 establish and fund five long-term care ombudsman program specialist positions within the Office of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman, Hawaii County Office of Aging, Kokua Council, AARP Hawai‘i, and fourteen individuals. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Budget and Finance and Executive Office on Aging.

Your Committee finds that the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman's responsibility is to be an advocate for anyone in the State living in a nursing home assisted living facility, expanded or regular adult residential care home, or community care foster family home. However, your Committee also finds that Hawaii is the only state with a Long-Term Care Ombudsman program with a staff of one. Although some services are provided by thirteen certified ombudsman volunteers, the Long-Term Care Ombudsman program lacks the staff to meet the federal minimum requirement of visiting each facility on a quarterly basis, let alone provide additional services such as facilitating resident and family councils and providing community education. This measure addresses the program's lack of resources by appropriating funds for additional permanent staff positions.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Deleting the preamble;

(2) Changing the appropriation to an unspecified amount;

(3) Changing the full-time equivalent positions to an unspecified position count;

(4) Changing the effective date to July 1, 2060, to encourage further discussion; and

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

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health, Human Services, & Homelessness that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1824, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1824, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Health, Human Services, & Homelessness,

____________________________

RYAN I. YAMANE, Chair