STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2624

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                   

 

RE:     S.B. No. 2469

        S.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2020

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committees on Human Services and Public Safety, Intergovernmental, and Military Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 2469 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HUMAN SERVICES,"

 

beg leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to appropriate funds for the Department of Human Services to purchase, staff, and operate two mobile clinics to serve homeless individuals, provided that one of the mobile clinics is allocated to the county with the largest land mass.

 

     Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Governor's Coordinator on Homelessness, Hawaii Primary Care Association, a member of the Hawaii County Council, Democratic Party of Hawaii, Hawaii Psychological Association, and one individual.  Your Committees received comments on this measure from the Department of Human Services.

 

     Your Committees find that homelessness continues to be one of the State's most urgent and challenging social problems.  Homeless persons face a myriad of issues, including general health issues, mental illness, and substance abuse.  Your Committees further find that mobile clinics are increasing in popularity across the nation as government entities find ways to address the health care needs of the homeless population.  Mobile clinics offer a variety of free healthcare services for local homeless populations, saving significant costs on emergency room visits and have the potential to similarly provide timely, non-emergency medical care to homeless individuals in Hawaii.  The State can help address many homeless individuals' illnesses before they become severe by making basic preventative and primary health care services more accessible on a mobile outreach basis.  Your Committees learned through testimony that currently there are nonprofit organizations that provide similar services.

 

     Therefore, your Committees have amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Authorizing the Department of Human Services to contract with nonprofit medical service providers; and

 

     (2)  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 Human Services and Public Safety, Intergovernmental, and Military Affairs that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2469, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2469, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Human Services and Public Safety, Intergovernmental, and Military Affairs,

 

________________________________

CLARENCE K. NISHIHARA, Chair

 

________________________________

RUSSELL E. RUDERMAN, Chair