CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REP. NO. 117-24

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2024

RE: S.B. No. 3094

S.D. 2

H.D. 2

C.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2024

State of Hawaii

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2024

State of Hawaii

Sirs:

Your Committee on Conference on the disagreeing vote of the Senate to the amendments proposed by the House of Representatives in S.B. No. 3094, S.D. 2, H.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PEER SUPPORT SPECIALISTS,"

having met, and after full and free discussion, has agreed to recommend and does recommend to the respective Houses the final passage of this bill in an amended form.

The purpose of this measure is to:

(1) Establish a temporary Peer Support Specialist Working Group (Working Group) within the Office of Wellness and Resilience to develop and make recommendations for a framework for peer support specialists in the State;

(2) Require the Working Group to submit a report of its findings and recommendations to the Legislature before the Regular Session of 2025; and

(3) Appropriate funds for the Working Group, including for the Office of Wellness and Resilience to contract with an administrative facilitator to provide necessary support for the Working Group in carrying out its duties.

Your Committee on Conference finds that peer support is effective for improving behavioral health outcomes, including reduced hospital admission rates, longer community tenure, increased social functioning, and decreased substance abuse and depression. The recommendations from the Working Group established pursuant to this measure will allow the State to make an informed decision on establishing a framework of trauma-informed care for peer support specialists to better serve individuals in need.

Your Committee on Conference further funds that reimbursing members of the Working Group who are employed by the State and serving in their official capacity on the Working Group would be duplicating travel expenses they already receive. Furthermore, your Committee on Conference finds that compensating members of the Working Group who are not employed by the State could create a disparity with other state-mandated working groups.

Accordingly, your Committee on Conference has amended this measure by:

(1) Deleting language that would have:

(A) Reimbursed members of the Working Group who are employed by the State and serving in their official capacity on the Working Group for reasonable expenses necessary for the performance of their duties, including travel expenses;

(B) Required that members of the Working Group who are not employed by the State receive compensation for their time spent on Working Group meetings and related work; and

(C) Appropriated funds for the Working Group, including for the Office of Wellness and Resilience to contract with an administrative facilitator to provide necessary support for the Working Group in carrying out its duties;

(2) Amending section 1 to reflect its amended purpose;

(3) Inserting an effective date of July 1, 2024; and

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

As affirmed by the record of votes of the managers of your Committee on Conference that is attached to this report, your Committee on Conference is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 3094, S.D. 2, H.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Final Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 3094, S.D. 2, H.D. 2, C.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the managers:

ON THE PART OF THE HOUSE

ON THE PART OF THE SENATE

____________________________ LISA MARTEN Co-Chair	____________________________ ANGUS L.K. MCKELVEY Chair
____________________________ CORY CHUN Co-Chair	____________________________ CHRIS LEE Co-Chair