STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3172

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: H.B. No. 2505

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. 2505, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO ASSISTED COMMUNITY TREATMENT,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to clarify that community mental health outpatient programs that have agreed to provide mental health services to a defendant as part of an assisted community treatment order may prepare a certificate for assisted community treatment and provide the certificate to a defendant and may file an assisted community treatment petition with the Family Court.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Honolulu Emergency Services Department of the City and County of Honolulu; Hawaiʻi Psychological Association; The Institute for Human Services, Inc.; and one individual.

Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Judiciary and Aloha Independent Living Hawaii.

Your Committee finds that a systemic gap in services occurs when a defendant is found unfit to proceed in criminal proceedings. In many cases, these individuals do not meet the strict criteria for involuntary hospitalization but still require significant mental health intervention. Without a clear bridge to community-based care, these individuals are often released untreated. By empowering community programs to be involved in legal and clinical preparation for Assisted Community Treatment, this measure strengthens coordination between inpatient clinical teams and outpatient providers and ensures that individuals receive the necessary treatment in the least restrictive setting possible.

Your Committee has amended this measure by inserting an effective date of January 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion.

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. 2505, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2505, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary.

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

________________________________

JOY A. SAN BUENAVENTURA, Chair