STAND. COM. REP. NO. 214

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    S.B. No. 538

 

 

 

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2017

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health, to which was referred S.B. No. 538 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO CARE FACILITY INSPECTIONS,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to appropriate funds to the Department of Health for the posting of care facility inspection reports on the Department's website.

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from three individuals.  Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Health.

 

     Your Committee finds that the Department of Health is responsible for licensing, certifying, and monitoring several types of care facilities.  Although these inspections are performed using state monies to ensure a standard of quality of these facilities, the information in the inspection reports is difficult for the public to access.  Act 213, Session Laws of Hawaii 2013, was enacted to require, among other things, the Department of Health to make available to the public, free of charge, information collected from the Department's inspections of certain care facilities occurring on and after January 1, 2015.  However, because of a lack of resources and staff, posting of the inspection reports for all of the specified care facilities by the Department of Health has not been consistent, leaving the public frustrated.  Providing additional resources to the Department of Health to continue to make available its care facility inspection reports will benefit the public by granting greater access to information on the conditions of care facilities in the State.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 538 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health,

 

 

 

________________________________

ROSALYN H. BAKER, Chair