STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3128

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: H.B. No. 2343

H.D. 1

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2026

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Health and Human Services, to which was referred H.B. No. 2343, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO VETERANS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to repeal the June 30, 2027 deadline by which the Maui State Veterans Home must be assimilated into a state agency having a Maui affiliation and instead require the assimilation to be completed as soon as practicable.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Defense, Office of Veterans' Services, Hawaii Military Affairs Council, and two individuals.

Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Hawaii Health Systems Corporation Oahu Region.

Your Committee finds that state veterans homes are facilities that provide eligible veterans with nursing home care, domiciliary care, or adult day health care, and the Maui State Veterans Home is intended to provide skilled nursing, rehabilitation therapies, and hospice, Alzheimer's disease, and respite care for the State's veterans in Maui. Your Committee further finds that Act 99, Session Laws of Hawaii 2024, requires the assimilation of the Maui State Veterans Home into the Oahu Regional Health Care System or a state agency having a Maui affiliation by June 27, 2027. However, your Committee recognizes that the transfer process has proven to be complex, involving logistical, labor, and financial considerations. This measure removes the statutory deadline to ensure a responsible transition that protects the interests of veterans, staff, and the State.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Making it effective upon its approval; 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 H.B. No. 2343, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2343, H.D. 1, 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