STAND. COM. REP. NO. 127

                                 Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                   , 1999

                                 RE: H.B. No. 546
                                     




Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say
Speaker, House of Representatives
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 1999
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Human Services and Housing, to which was
referred H.B. No. 546 entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HOME HEALTH AGENCIES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to:

     (1)  Make the referral of a person to an unlicensed home
          health agency a petty misdemeanor;

     (2)  Make the referral of a person to a home health agency
          known to be unlicensed a misdemeanor; and

     (3)  Make the operation of an unlicensed home health agency
          a class C felony.

     The Department of Health and Solutions Surgical Center
commented on the bill.

     Your Committee finds that licensing requirements ensure
quality home health agency services.  By penalizing the operation
of and the referral to unlicensed agencies, your Committee
further finds that enforcement of the licensing requirements will
be enhanced and recipients of home health agency services will
benefit.
     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Human Services and Housing that is attached to this
report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose

 
 
                                 STAND. COM. REP. NO. 127
                                 Page 2

 
of H.B. No. 546 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be
referred to the Committee on Consumer Protection and Commerce.

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



                                   ______________________________
                                   DENNIS A. ARAKAKI, Chair