STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1879

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    H.B. No. 471

       H.D. 1

       S.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2019

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committees on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health and Human Services, to which was referred H.B. No. 471, H.D. 1, entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO AGING,"

 

beg leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to establish that a majority of currently serving Board members, but no fewer than eight, constitutes a quorum for the Policy Advisory Board for Elder Affairs.

 

     Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Executive Office on Aging and Policy Advisory Board for Elder Affairs.

 

     Your Committees find that the Policy Advisory Board for Elder Affairs (Board) advises the Executive Office on Aging in a number of important areas, including identifying age-related issues and alternative solutions, producing position statements and papers, advocating legislative actions, and providing input on program development and operations.  Your Committees further find that many Board members are elderly or live on neighbor islands, which helps ensure the Board represents the concerns facing different demographics of the State's population.

 

Your Committees recognize that having a large number of elderly and neighbor island members has made it difficult for the Board to meet the default quorum requirement of fifty percent of members plus one for every meeting.  When the Board fails to meet quorum requirements, the state sunshine law mandates that the meeting cannot be held and minutes cannot be approved.  Your Committees find that by establishing lower quorum requirements in its bylaws, the Board will be able to conform with the sunshine law and remain a strong advocate for the State's kupuna.

 

     Your Committees have amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Requiring the Board to establish quorum through its bylaws such that a majority of the currently serving members, but no fewer than eight members, shall constitute quorum;

 

     (2)  Requiring the Board to make its bylaws available to the public on the Executive Office on Aging's website;

 

     (3)  Inserting an effective date of July 1, 2019; and

 

     (4)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

 

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health and Human Services that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 471, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 471, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

 

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

 

________________________________

RUSSELL E. RUDERMAN, Chair

 

________________________________

ROSALYN H. BAKER, Chair