STAND. COM. REP. NO. 477

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 987

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 S.B. No. 987 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to appropriate funds to the Department of Health to develop and implement statewide media, education, and training activities for policies related to emergency examination and hospitalization and assisted community treatment for those in need of mental health intervention.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Health, Judiciary, Hawaii Disability Rights Center, and four individuals.

Your Committee finds that the State has developed policies related to emergency examination and hospitalization and assisted community treatment. These policies have the potential to improve health outcomes for individuals experiencing severe mental health crises, but due to the complexity of these policies, they have yet to be fully implemented. To improve implementation, this measure appropriates funds to educate and train applicable stakeholders on emergency examination and hospitalization and assisted community treatment.

Your Committee has amended this measure by inserting a blank appropriation amount.

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 S.B. No. 987, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 987, 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,

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JOY A. SAN BUENAVENTURA, Chair