STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2465

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 3141

S.D. 1

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. 3141 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) Require the Department of Health to track and publicly report certain data relating to crisis reports, emergency mental health transports, and court-ordered treatments;

(2) Require the Department of Health to respond to reports about persons having severe mental illness who are in need of assistance, assess whether those persons may fulfill the criteria for assisted community treatment, and coordinate the process for an assisted community treatment order if indicated;

(3) Establish that a court's denial of a petition for involuntary commitment shall serve as notification to the Department of Health that the person should be evaluated for assisted community treatment;

(4) Make an appropriation to the Department of Health for software and data collection and publication; and

(5) Make an appropriation to the Department of Health for statewide education and training on policies related to emergency examination and hospitalization and assisted community treatment.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Health; Hawaii Substance Abuse Coalition; and The Institute for Human Services, Inc.

Your Committee received comments on this measure from The Queen's Health System and Hawaii Disability Rights Center.

Your Committee finds that the State has several key tools and programs to assist individuals having untreated severe mental illnesses, including court-ordered plans of treatment or "assisted community treatment" orders, involuntary commitments to the Hawaii State Hospital or a similar facility, court-ordered medication, and Department of Health crises programs. Your Committee further finds that there are areas for improvement in these programs to better understand the complexity of mental health crises in the State's health system, especially as available resources and needs change over time.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Inserting an effective date of December 31, 2050, to encourage further discussion; and

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

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. 3141, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 3141, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committees on Ways and Means and Judiciary.

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

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JOY A. SAN BUENAVENTURA, Chair