STAND. COM. REP. NO. 56-24

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2024

RE: H.B. No. 2224

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. 2224 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO LONG-TERM CARE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to establish and appropriate funds for:

(1) A long-term care master plan that incorporates certain essential components of long-term care services; and

(2) A long-term care planner position within the Executive Office on Aging to oversee the development and implementation of the long-term care master plan.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Executive Office on Aging, AARP Hawaiʻi, and Healthcare Association of Hawaii.

Your Committee finds that the number of people living past the age of eighty continues to grow in the State. Your Committee also finds that the costs of institutional care have escalated beyond the financial means of most seniors and that most of the State's seniors prefer to live at home rather than in an institution. Establishing a long-term care master plan is therefore urgent to ensure a framework is in place to make quality long-term care services as accessible, efficient, and effective as possible.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Updating the preamble;

(2) Changing the appropriation for the long-term care master plan to an unspecified amount;

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

(4) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

Your Committee respectfully requests your Committee on Finance, should it deliberate on this measure, to consider an appropriation of $100,000 for the Executive Office on Aging to establish a comprehensive long-term care master plan.

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. 2224, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2224, 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