STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2683

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 3279

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2024

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Health and Human Services, to which was referred S.B. No. 3279 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO MENTAL HEALTH,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Establish within the Office of Wellness and Resilience the State of Well-Being Project to assess and enhance tier 1 and tier 2 mental health support services for all key stakeholder communities across the State; and

(2) Make an appropriation to establish an unspecified number of full-time equivalent mental health specialist positions within the Office of Wellness and Resilience.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Executive Office on Early Learning, Office of Wellness and Resilience, Hawaiʻi Health and Harm Reduction Center, Hawaiʻi Children's Action Network Speaks!, Filipino Mental Health Initiative – Hawaii, Maui Chamber of Commerce, and three individuals.

Your Committee finds that the State is experiencing a mental health crisis among all ages of the population. Trauma-informed care, an approach to understanding and responding to the widespread impact of trauma, provides one method to address mental health through safety, peer support, empowerment, and voice and choice. This measure provides additional support for trauma-informed care and trauma-responsive practice that will benefit both the public who interact with these systems and the State's workforce.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health and Human Services that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 3279 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

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

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JOY A. SAN BUENAVENTURA, Chair