STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2569

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2676

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Human Services, to which was referred S.B. No. 2676 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 and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Establish and fund five permanent Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program Specialist positions within the Office of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman assigned to each county as follows: one for the City and County of Honolulu, one for the County of Maui, two for the County of Hawaii, and one for the County of Kauai; and

(2) Require the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program Specialist to work under the supervision of the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman to achieve the goals of the State's Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program, as mandated by the federal Older Americans Act.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaii Long-Term Care Ombudsman, County of Hawai‘i Office of Aging, Maui County Office on Aging, AARP Hawai‘i, Kokua Council, Policy Advisory Board for Elder Affairs, and twenty individuals. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Executive Office on Aging and Department of Budget and Finance.

Your Committee finds that long-term care ombudsmen serve as advocates for residents of long-term care facilities to ensure that they receive the quality of care and quality of life they deserve and are entitled to by law. Your Committee further finds that according to a recommendation made by the National Academy of Medicine, Hawaii should have at least six full-time long-term care ombudsmen; however, during the reorganization of the Executive Office on Aging in June 2015, staffing for the Office of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman was reduced from six to one. This measure will replenish the staffing of Hawaii's Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program to meet national standards and enable the program to protect the health, safety, welfare, and rights of residents of long-term care facilities in accordance with state and federal law.

Your Committee notes the testimony of the Executive Office on Aging stating that the administration's budget includes two full-time equivalent (2.0 FTE) permanent ombudsmen positions for the State's Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program and if this measure were to pass, there will a total of seven full-time equivalent permanent ombudsmen positions.

Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Clarifying that the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program Specialists shall work under the supervision of the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman to assist in the performance of the Office of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman's duties and responsibilities, including achieving the goals of the State's Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program established pursuant to the Older Americans Act, P.L. 89-73;

(2) Clarifying that the five full-time equivalent (5.0 FTE) Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program Specialist positions established in and the appropriations made pursuant to this measure supplant what is in the Executive Office on Aging's base budget; and

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

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 S.B. No. 2676, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2676, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

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

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JOY A. SAN BUENAVENTURA, Chair