STAND. COM. REP. NO. 467-06

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2006

RE: H.B. No. 2223

H.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2006

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Human Services and Health, to which was referred H.B. No. 2223 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO CARE HOMES,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to assist adult residential care home operators with the increased costs of care by:

(1) Increasing the level of care payments from $521.90 to $621.90 for a type I facility, and from $629.90 to $729.90 for a type II facility; and

(2) Appropriating funds for the payment increase.

The Hawaii Coalition of Care Home Administrators and many concerned individuals testified in support of this bill. The Department of Human Services offered comments.

Your Committees heard several measures relating to care homes and are supportive of the caregivers who put forth so much of their time and effort to care for others. Your Committee heard and amended H.B. No. 1821 to include monetary issues relating to care homes, and stated its intent to use this measure as a vehicle for other issues relating to care homes, including the capacity for different types of homes.

 

Accordingly, your Committees have amended this bill by:

(1) Deleting the provisions providing an increase in level of care payments;

(2) Deleting the appropriation for the payment increase;

(3) Amending county provisions to allow for an increase in the maximum capacity for adult family boarding homes and care homes from five to six non-family members, and increasing from two to three, the number of those non-family members that may be incapable of self-preservation;

(4) Increasing the capacity for adult residential care homes as follows:

(a) From five to six unrelated persons for type I homes; and

(b) From six to seven persons for type II homes;

(5) Increasing the capacity for expanded adult residential care homes as follows:

(a) From five to six residents and from two to three nursing facility level residents for type I homes; and

(b) From six to seven residents for type II homes;

(6) Increasing the capacity for community care foster family homes from two to three adults, and of those adults, increasing the number of Medicaid recipients from one to two;

(7) Requiring adult residential care homes to reserve at least one bed for Medicaid patients;

(8) Making permanent the home- and community-based case management agencies and community care foster family homes law; and

(9) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for clarity and style.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Human Services and Health that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2223, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2223, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

 

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

 

____________________________

DENNIS A. ARAKAKI, Chair

____________________________

ALEX M. SONSON, Chair