STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3679

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: H.B. No. 1827

H.D. 2

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2024

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred H.B. No. 1827, H.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTHCARE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to appropriate moneys for health care workforce development initiatives.

More specifically, this measure appropriates moneys to:

(1) The Department of Labor and Industrial Relations for:

(A) The public high school health care workforce certificate program; and

(B) The glidepath program for certified nurse aides; and

(2) The Department of Education to renovate and equip certain public high school classrooms to be used for health care training.

Your Committee received written comments in support of this measure from the Department of Education, Hawaii State Council on Developmental Disabilities, Hawaii State Health Planning and Development Agency, Hawaii Pacific Health, Hawaii Primary Care Association, Hawaii State Teachers Association, Healthcare Association of Hawaii, Kaiser Permanente, Kapalama Neighborhood Security Watch, and Palolo Chinese Home.

Your Committee finds that the initiatives supported by the funding in this measure will help address the State's growing health care workforce needs.

Your Committee notes that in its written comments the Healthcare Association of Hawaii recommended the following amendments to the measure:

(1) Inserting language into Part II to clarify that the public high school health care workforce certificate program is intended to incorporate transition-to-employment support with demonstrated partner employers to fill in-demand professions and serve the islands of Oahu, Hawaii, Kauai, and Maui;

(2) Inserting language into Part III to clarify that the renovation and equipping of high school classrooms to be used for health care training should be done in partnership with nonprofit community development and restoration organizations;

(3) Inserting language into Part IV to clarify that the glidepath program is intended to serve certified nurse aides working in long-term care facilities on the islands of Maui, Oahu, Hawaii, and Kauai and who are enrolled in employer-based cohorts that incorporate employer-sponsored tuition support, educational support, and wrap services; and

(4) Amending all references to the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations to instead refer to the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism.

Your Committee has amended this measure by making technical nonsubstantive changes 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. 1827, H.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1827, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

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

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DONOVAN M. DELA CRUZ, Chair