STAND. COM. REP. NO. 426

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2023

RE: H.B. No. 948

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2023

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Health & Homelessness, to which was referred H.B. No. 948 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO CHILD AND ADOLESCENT MENTAL HEALTH,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to:

(1) Establish a Child and Adolescent Crisis Mobile Outreach Team Pilot Program to provide additional support and expansion of services for existing crisis response services; and

(2) Appropriate funds.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Health, Hawai‘i Youth Services Network, Catholic Charities Hawai‘i, Residential Youth Services & Empowerment, and two individuals.

Your Committee finds that there is a need to improve mental health crisis intervention for at-risk youth in the State. Your Committee further finds that between January 1, 2020, and January 1, 2023, the number of reports of youth in crisis received by the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Division of the Department of Health has more than doubled. Current research indicates that it is best practice for behavioral health crisis care to include assistance for families to establish long-term community and mental health supports after crisis care; states that have implemented community supports for at-risk youth report reduced rates of out-of-home placements and reductions in the use of emergency hospitalizations. This measure seeks to expand existing services for the State's at-risk youth by developing improved crisis response supports for children and families in the community.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Clarifying that the provision of services by the Child and Adolescent Crisis Mobile Outreach Team Pilot Program shall be to the extent practicable within available resources; and

(2) Changing the effective date to June 30, 3000, to encourage further discussion.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health & Homelessness that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 948, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 948, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

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

____________________________

DELLA AU BELATTI, Chair