STAND. COM. REP. NO. 699

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2023

RE: H.B. No. 487

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2023

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Health & Homelessness, to which was referred H.B. No. 487 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE OFFICE OF WELLNESS AND RESILIENCE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to:

(1) Extend the sunset date of Trauma-Informed Care Task Force established by Act 209, Session Laws of Hawaii 2021, to June 30, 2025; and

(2) Beginning July 1, 2025, transfer the Office of Wellness and Resilience from the Office of the Governor to the Department of Human Services and formalize the Trauma-Informed Care Task Force as an advisory committee within the Office of Wellness and Resilience, to be known as the Wellness and Resilience Advisory Board.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Office of Wellness and Resilience in the Office of the Governor, Department of Health, Hawai‘i Health & Harm Reduction Center, Hawaii Primary Care Association, Hawai‘i Children's Action Network Speaks!, Hawai‘i Youth Services Network, HawaiiKidsCAN, Kamehameha Schools, and one individual. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Human Services.

Your Committee finds that Act 209, Session Laws of Hawaii 2021, established a Trauma-Informed Care Task Force to address early adverse childhood experiences that can negatively impact the development in children through the development of a statewide framework for trauma-informed care. Your Committee further finds that there is an ongoing need to provide comprehensive, coordinated, and culturally sensitive services to address the disproportionate health and economic impacts on low-income families, children, and youth caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Formalizing the Trauma-Informed Care Task Force as an advisory committee within the Office of Wellness and Resilience will allow committee members and community stakeholders to help guide the Office of Wellness and Resilience, to ensure that state agencies move toward a collaboration, shared purpose of trauma-informed care system reform.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Changing the effective date to June 30, 3000, to encourage further discussion; and

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

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health & Homelessness that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 487, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 487, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Health & Homelessness,

____________________________

DELLA AU BELATTI, Chair