STAND. COM. REP. NO. 505

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2005

RE: H.B. No. 680

H.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2005

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Health and Human Services, to which was referred H.B. No. 680 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT MAKING AN EMERGENCY APPROPRIATION FOR HOME AND COMMUNITY BASED SERVICES,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to:

(1) Make an emergency appropriation to the Department of

Health (DOH);

(2) Increase funding to the Department of Human Services

(DHS) to reimburse DOH's developmental disabilities or mental retardation Medicaid waiver providers for claims for fiscal year 2004-2005.

DOH, DHS, State Council on Developmental Disabilities, and Hawaii Disability Rights Center supported this bill.

DHS reported that an appropriation is needed to cover its funding shortfall to enable DOH to fulfill its responsibilities to developmentally disadvantaged/mentally retarded (DD/MR) individuals.

 

Your Committees are concerned about ambiguities reported on a DOH waitlist for DD/MR individuals who may need DOH's services. Your Committees have requested clarification from DOH on this matter and hope that DOH will hasten its response so that this matter will be cleared up as soon as possible.

In an attempt to assist DD/MR individuals who may be adversely affected by DHS's lapse in funding, your Committees have amended this bill by:

(1) Changing the effective date to July 1, 2020, to

encourage further discussion; and

(2) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for clarity,

consistency, and style.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Health and Human Services that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 680, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 680, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

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

 

____________________________

ALEX M. SONSON, Chair

____________________________

DENNIS A. ARAKAKI, Chair