Bill Text: HI SB925 | 2012 | Regular Session | Amended

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Bill Title: Healthy Start; Home Visitation; Department of Health; Appropriation

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 8-0)

Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2011-12-01 - Carried over to 2012 Regular Session. [SB925 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2012-SB925-Amended.html

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STAND. COM. REP. NO. 667

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    S.B. No. 925

       S.D. 2

 

 

 

Honorable Shan S. Tsutsui

President of the Senate

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2011

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 925, S.D. 1, entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO CHILDREN,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to reinstate a hospital-based screening and assessment program and intensive home visiting program for families at high risk for child abuse and appropriate funds needed to continue these programs.

 

     Comments in support of this measure were submitted by Loretta J. Fuddy, A.C.S.W., M.P.H., Acting Director, Department of Health; Patricia McManaman, Interim Director, Department of Human Services; Gail Breakey, Executive Director, Hawaii Family Support Institute; Dr. Robert Peters, Chair, Early Learning Council; and Ave Diaz.

 

     Your Committee received comments in opposition to this measure from George S. Massengale, J.D., Director of Government Relations, American Cancer Society.

 

     Your Committee received comments on this measure from Donald B. Weisman, Hawaii Advocacy Director, American Heart/Stroke Association; Elisabeth Chun, Executive Director, Good Beginnings Alliance; and Trisha Y. Nakamura, Esq., Policy and Advocacy Director, Coalition for a Tobacco Free Hawaii.

 

     Your Committee finds that reductions in the Healthy Start program have eliminated the assessment capacity and home visiting services that helped to screen high-risk families and prevent child abuse.  Your Committee further finds that the reinstatement of a hospital-based screening and assessment program and intensive home visiting program will reduce child abuse in Hawaii and allow for healthy child development.  Your Committee also finds that expenditures in this measure will allow these programs to fulfill federal funding requirements for matching funds.

 

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

 

(1)  Adding language to section 1 to clarify that the use of moneys from the Hawaii tobacco settlement special fund and temporary assistance for needy families funds is appropriate and necessary to ensure that the public health interests of the health and safety of at-risk children are met;

 

(2)  Adding language to section 1 to clarify that the purpose of this measure is to appropriate funds from the Hawaii tobacco settlement special fund and temporary assistance for needy families funds and to increase the appropriation ceiling of the Hawaii tobacco settlement special fund to allow this expenditure from that fund;

 

(3)  Directing, rather than authorizing, the hospital-based screening and assessment program to take specified actions;

 

(4)  Directing, rather than authorizing, the intensive home visiting services program to provide specified services;

 

(5)  Requiring services of the intensive home visiting program to be initiated on an incremental basis, with geographic priority to be determined by departmental needs assessment and to be implemented as funds become available;

 

(6)  Increasing the Hawaii tobacco settlement special fund ceiling appropriation ceiling to $53,154,866 in fiscal years 2011-2012 and 2012-2013;

 

(7)  Changing the amounts of the appropriations out of the Hawaii tobacco settlement special fund and the temporary assistance for needy families funds to unspecified amounts;

 

(8)  Changing the effective date to July 1, 2050, to promote further discussion of the measure; and

 

(9)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 925, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 925, S.D. 2.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

 

		____________________________ DAVID Y. IGE, Chair