STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3127

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: H.B. No. 1562

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. 1562, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to establish and appropriate funds for a one-year Digital Youth Mental Health Platform Pilot Project that will enable the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Division of the Department of Health to develop and make publicly available a digital platform designed to help young people address and manage mental health challenges.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the State Health Planning and Development Agency; Hawaiʻi Public Health Institute; Hawaiʻi State Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer Plus Commission; Catholic Charities Hawaiʻi; Hawaiʻi Community Foundation; Aloha Independent Living Hawaii; Hawaii Medical Association; and one individual.

Your Committee received comments on this measure from the State Procurement Office and Hawaii Substance Abuse Coalition.

Your Committee finds that nearly all indicators of child and adolescent mental health has worsened over the past decade, partially due to recent disasters, including the COVID-19 pandemic and the Maui wildfires in August 2023 that have contributed to increased rates of depression and anxiety among the State's youth. Your Committee further finds that prevention activities related to the promotion of mental health, such as early intervention, mental health education, and coping strategies, are critical to preventing the escalation of mental health disorders in the State, potentially reducing the need for more intensive services in the future. Your Committee also finds that digital platforms that can be accessed with mobile devices can provide a powerful public health service, especially for youth, by expanding the reach of mental health education and prevention by making it more convenient and inclusive, especially for children and adolescents in remote or underserved areas where in-person programs may be limited. The Digital Youth Mental Health Platform Pilot Project implemented pursuant to this measure will make mental health services and supports more readily available and affordable for youth in the State and promote adolescent mental resilience.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Specifying that the pilot project's procurement exemptions from chapter 103D, Hawaii Revised Statutes, the Hawaii Public Procurement Code, and from chapter 103F, Hawaii Revised Statutes, state law governing purchases of health and human services, shall be limited to the duration of the pilot project, not to exceed June 30, 2027; 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. 1562, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1562, 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