STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1698

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2019

 

RE:   S.B. No. 813

      S.D. 2

      H.D. 1

 

 

 

 

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2019

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Health, to which was referred S.B. No. 813, S.D. 2, entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funds for Fiscal Biennium 2019-2021 for various operating expenses of the Department of Health (DOH).

 

     The Executive Office on Aging and Honolulu Emergency Services Department of the City and County of Honolulu testified in support of this measure.  DOH and Hawaii Psychological Association provided comments.

 

     Your Committee has amended this measure by deleting its substantive contents and inserting language which provides funding for the operating expenses and positions for the following programs of DOH:

 

     (1)  HTH100 – Communicable Disease and Public Health Nursing;

 

     (2)  HTH131 – Disease Outbreak Control;

 

     (3)  HTH210 – Hawaii Health Systems Corporation – Corporate Office;

 

     (4)  HTH211 - Kahuku Hospital;

 

     (5)  HTH212 – Hawaii Health Systems Corporation – Regions;

 

     (6)  HTH213 – Alii Community Care;

 

     (7)  HTH214 – Maui Health System, A KFH LLC;

 

     (8)  HTH420 – Adult Mental Health - Outpatient;

 

     (9)  HTH430 – Adult Mental Health – Inpatient;

 

     (10) HTH440 – Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division;

 

     (11) HTH460 – Child and Adolescent Mental Health;

 

     (12) HTH495 – Behavioral Health Administration;

 

     (13) HTH501 – Developmental Disabilities;

 

     (14) HTH520 – Disability and Communications Access Board;

 

     (15) HTH560 – Family health Services;

 

     (16) HTH590 – Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion;

 

     (17) HTH595 – Health Resources Administration;

 

     (18) HTH610 – Environmental Health Services;

 

     (19) HTH710 – State Laboratory Services;

 

     (20) HTH720 – Health Care Assurance;

 

     (21) HTH730 – Emergency Medical Services and Injury Prevention System;

 

     (22) HTH760 – Health Status Monitoring;

 

     (23) HTH904 – Executive Office on Aging;

 

     (24) HTH905 – Developmental Disabilities Council;

 

     (25) HTH906 – State Health Planning & Development Agency;

 

     (26) HTH907 – General Administration; and

 

     (27) HTH908 – Office of Language Access.

 

     Your Committee has further amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Changing the effective date to July 1, 2030, to promote further discussion; and

 

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

 

     Your Committee notes that the amended appropriations as written in this measure only includes the base budget for DOH and does not include any additional budgetary needs for DOH.

 

     Your Committee further notes a concern that the Executive Budget had made a request for an additional 12 positions in Fiscal Year 2019-2020 (FY20) and 127 positions in Fiscal Year 2020-2021 (FY21) in addition to operating funds for the new Hawaii State Hospital forensic building.  The funds requested come to $289,014 for FY20 and $9,195,886 for FY21.  Your Committee understands the need to fund the positions before they are filled, but feels that these requests need further scrutiny.  Your Committee notes that construction of the hospital commenced in 2018 and projects to be a three year project; should the construction be pushed back, much of the above costs will lapse.  In addition, the 12 positions requested in FY20 are projected to be needed prior to the actual opening of the hospital, but it is unclear what these positions are and how critical they are to the pre-opening.  Finally, your Committee notes that in the process of filling the 127 positions, if a critical staff position, such as psychiatrist, is not able to be filled, the support staff for that position should also not be filled.

 

     Should your Committee on Finance deliberate on this measure further, your Committee on Health respectfully requests that in addition to the above concerns about the positions for the new Hawaii State Hospital forensic building, your Committee on Finance consider the amounts appropriated for the DOH in the Executive Budget that was transmitted to the Legislature on December 17, 2018, and the Governor's message (GM2) which reflects both the base budget and additional expenditures for the DOH.  Your Committee on Health further requests that your Committee on Finance consider appropriating $22,174,010 for HTH904 – Executive Office on Aging for FY20 and the same amount for FY21.  This amount, which incorporates both the base budget and the additional requests made in the Executive Budget, reflects a $1,200,000 decrease in funds for the Kupuna Care program.  Finally, your Committee on Health requests that your Committee on Finance consider including both the base budgetary needs and any additional add-ons for the DOH in one measure.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 813, S.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 813, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

 

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Health,

 

 

 

 

____________________________

JOHN M. MIZUNO, Chair