STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1872

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: H.B. No. 978

H.D. 2

S.D. 2

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2023

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred H.B. No. 978, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PURCHASES OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to promote health and human services procurement efficiency, program success, and government accountability.

More specifically, this measure:

(1) Clarifies the requirements for health and human services treatment services to be purchased by the State;

(2) Transfers from the Administrator of the State Procurement Office to the heads of health and human services purchasing agencies certain duties relating to the purchase of health and human services treatment services; and

(3) Changes the small purchase threshold for health and human services from $25,000 to an amount less than the threshold established in section 103D-305(a), Hawaii Revised Statutes, for goods and services.

Your Committee received written comments in support of this measure from the Department of Accounting and General Services and State Procurement Office.

Your Committee finds that transferring duties relating to the purchase of health and human services treatment services from the Administrator of the State Procurement Office to the heads of the health and human services purchasing agencies and changing the small purchase threshold for health and human services will expedite the provision to the public of critical services.

Your Committee has amended this measure by making technical nonsubstantive amendments for purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 978, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 978, H.D. 2, S.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

________________________________

DONOVAN M. DELA CRUZ, Chair