STAND. COM. REP. NO. 409

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 853

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2023

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Health and Human Services, to which was referred S.B. No. 853 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE HAWAII HEALTHY AGING PARTNERSHIP,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to appropriate funds to the Executive Office on Aging for the Hawaii Healthy Aging Partnership.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Health Executive Office on Aging, County of Kaua‘i Agency on Elderly Affairs, AARP Hawai‘i, Kūpuna Caucus of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i, Change AGEnts Hawaii, and ninety-three individuals.

Your Committee finds that the Hawaii Healthy Aging Partnership improves the health of older adults by empowering participants to make healthy decisions and engage in healthier lifestyles. Your Committee further finds that its two evidence-based intervention programs, Better Choices Better Health and EnhanceFitness, provide a myriad of benefits to participants, including reduced pain and emergency room visits and greater independence and quality of life. Despite the partnership's positive impact on participants' lives, the partnership has not received state funding since fiscal year 2019-2020. Without additional funding, the partnership will be forced to reduce its programming. To avoid a reduction in programming, this measure appropriates funds for the Hawaii Healthy Aging Partnership.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Inserting a blank appropriation amount;

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

(3) Making a technical, nonsubstantive amendment for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

Should your Committee on Ways and Means choose to deliberate on this measure, your Committee respectfully requests that it consider an appropriation amount of $550,000.

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. 853, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 853, S.D. 1, 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,

________________________________

JOY A. SAN BUENAVENTURA, Chair