STAND. COM. REP. NO. 725

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2023

RE: H.B. No. 278

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. 278 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funds for the Executive Office on Aging to create an Alzheimer's disease and related dementia public health campaign.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from AARP Hawai‘i; Alzheimer's Association – Hawaii; United Public Workers, AFSCME Local 646, AFL-CIO; Hawaii Primary Care Association; Hawai‘i Family Caregiver Coalition; Kūpuna Caucus of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i; Iron Workers Stabilization Fund; Gimme A Break; and sixteen individuals. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Executive Office on Aging.

Your Committee finds that Alzheimer's disease is a large and growing epidemic that has a huge impact in the State. According to data from the Alzheimer's Association, 29,000 people aged sixty-five and older are living with Alzheimer's disease, 6.7 percent of people aged forty-five and older have subjective cognitive decline, and 52,000 family caregivers bear the burden of caring for someone with Alzheimer's disease in Hawaii. Your Committee further finds that public health campaigns raise awareness of important health issues and stimulate groups or individuals to seek information and services. Increasing public awareness of early diagnosis may also lead to changing the course of this disease and promote behaviors that improve public health.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Inserting language establishing an Alzheimer's Working Group to plan and implement a public health campaign for awareness of Alzheimer's disease and other related dementias;

(2) Inserting an appropriation of an unspecified amount for the Alzheimer's Working Group;

(3) Changing the appropriation for the Executive Office on Aging to create an Alzheimer's disease and related dementias public health campaign to an unspecified amount;

(4) Changing the effective date to June 30, 3000, to encourage further discussion; and

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

Your Committee respectfully requests your Committee on Finance, should it deliberate on this measure, to consider an appropriation amount of $1,000,000 for the Alzheimer's Working Group and $1,000,000 for the Alzheimer's disease and related dementias public health campaign.

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. 278, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 278, 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