STAND. COM. REP. NO. 270-24

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2024

RE: H.B. No. 1670

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2024

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Human Services, to which was referred H.B. No. 1670 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO MOBILE CLINICS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funds to the Department of Human Services to purchase, staff, and operate mobile treatment clinics that provide services throughout the night.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaiʻi Primary Care Association. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Human Services.

Your Committee finds that due to advances in technology, health care professionals are able to provide needed services in the community to underserved populations. For those experiencing homelessness or other marginalized individuals, a trip to the emergency room to treat ailments or illnesses can turn into a serious financial burden. As these costs go unpaid it has a tendency to raise insurance premium rates and treatment costs for everyone over time. Your Committee therefore believes that the funding of mobile clinics would enable health care professionals to go directly to patients and treat injuries and illnesses at an earlier stage to prevent them from getting worse and more costly to address.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Changing the purpose of the appropriation to enable the Department of Human Services to contract with qualified organizations;

(2) Changing the effective date to July 1, 3000, to encourage further discussion; and

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

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Human Services that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1670, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1670, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

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

____________________________

LISA MARTEN, Chair