Report Title:

Caregiving; Appropriation

 

Description:

Appropriates funds to the counties to financially assist caregiving programs that receive federal funding cuts.

 


HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

827

TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2007

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

 

relating to the elderly.

 

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

 


     SECTION 1.  The legislature finds that family caregiving has always been a universal experience of all ethnicities, lifestyles, and income levels, but recently, caregiving of family elders has become more than an act of love and familial responsibility.  Due to a shortage of care providers in Hawaii, family caregiving has become a critical element within the State's health care and long-term care agendas.

     Caregiving programs, such as the kupuna care program under the department of health, provide various in-home services (e.g., personal care, respite care, home delivered meals, chores, attendant care, homemaker, etc.) and access services (e.g., transportation, care management, escort, etc.) throughout the State.  These program services assist their clients with managing and carrying out their daily needs, and provide their clients' caregivers relief and more flexible schedules so that they may take care of their own personal needs.

     The legislature further finds that some of these caregiving programs receive federal funding to maintain a variety of quality services that their clients and caregivers depend on on a daily-basis.  Despite the success of these programs, federal funding cuts have been proposed, which may force some of these programs to seek alternative sources of funding to continue to meet their objectives, or may cause these programs financial disruption in their services and administration.

     The purpose of this Act is to appropriate funds to the counties as a grants-in-aid to financially assist caregiving programs that experienced federal funding cuts so they may continue to provide services to their clients and their clients' caregivers.

     SECTION 2.  There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the following sums, or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2007-2008, and the same sums, or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2008-2009, to the:

          City and county of Honolulu       $         

          County of Kauai                   $         

          County of Maui                    $         

          County of Hawaii                  $         

          Total                             $         

As grants-in-aid to financially assist caregiving programs that experienced federal funding cuts.

     The sums appropriated shall be expended by the respective county for the purpose of this Act.

     SECTION 3.  This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2007.

 

INTRODUCED BY:

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