STAND.
COM. REP. NO. 1405-24
Honolulu, Hawaii
, 2024
RE: H.R. No. 96
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.R. No. 96 entitled:
"HOUSE RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE AUDITOR TO CONDUCT AN AUDIT OF CLEAN AND SOBER HOMES THAT ARE NOT REGISTERED UNDER THE CLEAN AND SOBER HOMES REGISTRY,"
begs leave to report as follows:
The purpose of this measure to request the Auditor to conduct an audit of the Department of Health's Clean and Sober Homes Registry and any related programs, including:
(1) a list of unregistered clean and sober homes.
Your Committee finds that the clean and sober homes, also known as sober living recovery residences, support the recovery of individuals with substance use disorders and help prevent relapse, criminal justice system involvement, and overdose. While most clean and sober homes are well-run, there are concerns that other homes are overcrowded and not well-managed. While there is a need to assess the clean and sober homes not listed on the State registry, your Committee finds that the information that H.R. 96 seeks to obtain is not an audit, and therefore cannot be obtained by the State Auditor. Your Committee further finds that the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division within the Department of Health testified in favor of addressing this problem with an informal working group, as described in H.C.R. 178, which they are willing to convene and lead with no additional appropriation. Hawaii Substance Abuse Coalition also testified in support of this strategy.
Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by:
(1) Deleting its contents and inserting the contents of H.C.R. 178, a measure that:
(A) Requests the Department of Health to assess the registration and monitoring of clean and sober homes by convening and leading an informal working group to discuss the management of clean and sober homes;
(B) Clarifies what a clean and sober home, or a recovery residence, is;
(C) Clarifies that Act 193, Session Laws of Hawaii 2014, developed procedures intended to ensure that clean and sober homes were properly monitored and accountable by creating a voluntary clean and sober home registry within the Hawaii Department of Health, Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division;
(D) Clarifies that most clean and sober homes are independently owned, and many are not monitored by the State, especially if the clean and sober home is not registered with the Department of Health; and
(E) Establishes that there is a need to improve the operation of clean and sober homes not on the voluntary registry; and
(2) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purpose 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 concurs with the intent and purpose of H.R. No. 96, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to your Committee on Finance in the form attached hereto as H.R. No. 96, H.D. 1.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Human Services,
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____________________________ LISA MARTEN, Chair |
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