LAWMAKERS HOLD BRIEFING ON THE STATE'S APPLICATION AND PLAN FOR COMMUNITY SERVICES BLOCK GRANT

The Hawaii State Senate Committee on Judiciary and Labor and the House Committee on Labor and Public Employment will hold an informational briefing Friday to get an update on the State of Hawaii's Application and Plan for Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) for fiscal years (FY) 2015 and 2016.

"The Community Services Block Grant provides federal funding for Hawaii to determine its goals and objectives and implement initiatives to address poverty issues," said Senator Clayton Hee, chair of the Senate Committee on Judiciary and Labor. "CSBG grant funding improves the quality of life and raises the welfare of our state's residents."

"We rely on this federal funding to enhance the livelihood of our state," said Representative Mark Nakashima, chair of the House Committee on Labor and Public Employment. "When we address the root causes of poverty, we can begin to plan for improvements to lessen poverty's effect."

The State of Hawaii's CSBG Application and Plan for FY 2015 and 2016 was released for public comment on June 9, 2014. Federal law requires the state to post its plan and hold public hearings on the matter.

CSBG is administered federally by the Office of Community Services within the Administration of Children and Families of the Department of Health and Human Services and by the State of Hawaii Department of Labor's Office of Community Services at the local level. CSBG funding is used to support efforts to assist low-income families and individuals. Funding is available to all four county Community Action Agencies including Honolulu Community Action Program, Hawaii County Economic Opportunity Council, Maui Economic Opportunity, and Kauai Economic Opportunity.

The State CSBG Application and Plan for FY 2015 and 2016 is available online.

STATE HOSPITAL ADMINISTRATORS SUBPOENAED TO TESTIFY BEFORE SENATE INVESTIGATIVE COMMITTE

Sen. Clayton Hee and Sen. Josh Green at the July 16, 2014 hearing. (Photo courtesy of Senate Communications)


The Hawaii State Senate continues its investigation into allegations of misconduct at the State Hospital on Wednesday, July 30 at 10 a.m. in Room 16 of the Hawaii State Capitol.


Scheduled to testify are the following individuals for which subpoenas were issued:

• William May, Hawaii State Hospital Administrator
• William Sheehan, Hawaii State Hospital Associate Administrator of Clinical Services

"We're continuing our investigation into the Hawaii State Hospital and asking the relevant and hard-hitting questions so that we can make it a safer place for employees and patients while ensuring proper execution in employment policies practices," said Sen. Clayton Hee, co-chair of the Senate Investigative Committee on the State Hospital. "We are also looking forward to discussing with Mr. May the future of the hospital and how he anticipates to get there."

"We have held nine hearings thus far and each time we learn something new do about the environment of the hospital," added committee co-chair Sen. Josh Green, who is also an emergency department physician. "As the process moves on, we're seeing some changes and by the end of our investigation I expect to have comprehensive understanding of all its problems, from worker injuries to accusations of nepotism and mismanagement."

The Special Investigative Committee on the State Hospital was formed during the 2014 legislative session to conduct an investigation of the workplace safety of psychiatric workers and allegations of administrative improprieties and failure to conform to established employment policies and practices at the Hawaii State Hospital. The hearings began in March to receive testimony from subpoenaed individuals and has been ongoing as senators take a wide-ranging and in-depth look at the State Hospital.

Please visit the investigative committee's webpage for more information.

STATE HOSPITAL ADMINISTRATORS SUBPOENAED TO TESTIFY BEFORE SENATE INVESTIGATIVE COMMITTEE

The Hawaii State Senate continues its investigation into allegations of misconduct at the State Hospital on Wednesday, July 16.

The Special Investigative Committee on the State Hospital was formed during the 2014 legislative session to conduct an investigation of the workplace safety of psychiatric workers and allegations of administrative improprieties and failure to conform to established employment policies and practices at the Hawaii State Hospital. The hearings began in March to receive testimony from subpoenaed individuals and has been ongoing as senators take a wide-ranging and in-depth look at the State Hospital.

"There are a growing number of concerns at the State Hospital," said Senator Clayton Hee, co-chair of the Senate Special Investigative Committee on the State Hospital. "As we learn more about the inner workings at the State Hospital, it's become clear that there are many issues that need addressing. We need to hold workers accountable for improper actions, but also equip them with the tools necessary to do their jobs."

"The first step in solving a problem is to assess the current situation" said Senator Josh Green, co-chair of the Senate Special Investigative Committee on the State Hospital. "The hearings we hold attempts to give us insight into what exactly is happening at the State Hospital so that we can begin to address and solve those issues with open and transparent governance."

The next hearing will be held on Wednesday, July 16 at 11:00am in Room 16 of the Hawaii State Capitol to receive testimony from the following individuals for which subpoenas were issued:

Mark Fridovich, Adult Mental Health Division Administrator William Elliott, Acting Hawaii State Hospital Administrator Linda Rosen, Director of the Department of Health