Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Committee Vote Roundup topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Votes at a glance: Committee advances multiple health and social services bills with amendments
Summary
The Senate Committee on Health and Human Services approved committee recommendations on a slate of bills including HB 72, HB 237, HB 250, HB 303, HB 341, HB 692, HB 700, HB 705, HB 713, HB 1462 and HB 1477, recording passage with amendments and noting effective dates and technical changes.
The Senate Committee on Health and Human Services concluded its calendar by adopting the chair’s recommendations on multiple measures. Below are the bills the committee recorded action on during the session and the committee’s stated outcomes. Where the committee noted amendments in its closing remarks, those are summarized.
Votes at a glance (committee recommendation adopted unless noted):
- HB 72 (pharmacy): Pass with Board of Pharmacy recommended amendments; technical non-substantive changes; defective date set to 12/31/2050. Chair recorded aye; recommendation adopted.
- HB 237 (peer support programs): Pass as recommended; defective date 12/31/2050. Recommendation adopted.
- HB 250 (prior authorization): Pass with amendments — remove contested healthcare definition per Attorney General and accept Kaiser amendments to align with SB 1449 working group; technical non-substantive edits. Committee noted concerns about unfunded liabilities for public-employer plans. Recommendation adopted.
- HB 303 (health-care preceptors): Pass with technical non-substantive amendments; effective/defective date adjustments noted in committee comments.
- HB 341 (issuance of SPURBs to assist Hawaii Island Community Health Association): Pass with technical non-substantive amendments; committee noted SPURB amount blank and set effective date 07/01/2026 in remarks.
- HB 692 (Preschool Open Doors): Pass with technical non-substantive amendments; effective date 07/01/2026. Committee recorded lieutenant governor’s support.
- HB 700 (cognitive assessments): Pass with Council on Developmental Disabilities amendments removing the age limit and including individuals with propensity for Alzheimer’s; technical non-substantive edits; effective date noted in committee remarks.
- HB 705 (Executive Office on Aging): Pass with EO on Aging proposed amendments; defective date 12/31/2050.
- HB 713 (home health rate study): Pass with defective date 12/31/2050; committee noted DHS-proposed funding language for the committee report (suggested $500,000 with 50% federal match referenced in remarks).
- HB 1462 (crisis services): Pass with Department of Health amendment to add appropriation language; defective date 12/31/2050 and technical edits.
- HB 1477 (social services; HD1): Pass with Department of Health amendment and change defective date to effective immediately upon passage.
The committee recorded votes in roll-call format for several items indicating three members present and recorded “aye” from the chair, vice chair, and Senator Hashimoto; several senators were excused. The committee instructed staff to reflect the amendments and effective dates in the committee reports and noted a number of follow-ups (licensure data from DHS, appropriation amounts for DOH and DHS items, and further stakeholder work on prior-authorization standards).
