STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1290

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: H.B. No. 872

H.D. 1

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2023

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Health and Human Services, to which was referred H.B. No. 872, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE HAWAII HEALTHY AGING PARTNERSHIP,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to appropriate funds to the Executive Office on Aging for the Hawaii Healthy Aging Partnership.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Executive Office on Aging, Policy Advisory Board for Elder Affairs, Office of the Mayor of the County of Maui, Agency on Elderly Affairs of the County of Kauai, AARP Hawai‘i, Hawai‘i Family Caregiver Coalition, Pearl City Community Church, and more than one hundred individuals.

Your Committee finds that the Hawaii Healthy Aging Partnership furthers the Hawaii State Plan on Aging's first goal of maximizing opportunities for older adults to age well, remain active, and enjoy higher quality lives while engaging in their communities. The Partnership offers two programs, Better Choices Better Health and EnhanceFitness. Better Choices Better Health helps reduce pain, fatigue, shortness of breath, stress, and visits to physicians' offices and emergency rooms and has served 3,185 individuals across the State since its inception. EnhanceFitness helps kupuna avoid long-term complications associated with chronic conditions and has served 1,872 individuals since its inception. Despite the demand for these two programs, your Committee notes that the Partnership has not received state funding since 2019, when the Legislature appropriated $550,000 to the Partnership. Without additional funding, the Partnership will be unable to continue offering Better Choices Better Health and EnhanceFitness. Therefore, this measure appropriates funds to the Hawaii Healthy Aging Partnership to continue to improve the health and well-being of Hawaii's kupuna.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Specifying that the Executive Office on Aging of the Department of Health shall expend the appropriated funds; and

(2) Making a technical, nonsubstantive amendment for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health and Human Services that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 872, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 872, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

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

________________________________

JOY A. SAN BUENAVENTURA, Chair