Senate Committee on Health and Human Services advances multiple gubernatorial nominees; one deferred

The Senate Committee on Health and Human Services voted on a package of gubernatorial nominations to state advisory boards and councils on matters ranging from emergency medical services to aging and rehabilitation, recommending advise and consent for most nominees and deferring one decision for additional paperwork.

Committee members advanced nominations for Melanie Lau (GM 5 22) to the Fuel Tank Advisory Committee; Adrianna Saragosa Torres (GM 5 23) and Tiana Seles Webster (GM 5 77) to the State Council on Mental Health; Sai O'Brien (GM 5 25) and Jacob Pichelo (GM 5 26) to emergency/medical advisory panels; Patrick Winfield Laufer (GM 5 40) and other candidates to the Emergency Medical Services Advisory Committee; Jessica Stevens (GM 5 76) to the Mental Health and Substance Abuse board; Louis Johnson (GM 5 79) and Susie Schulberg (GM 6 33) to the Policy Advisory Board for Elder Affairs; Mariah Nichols (GM 6 29) and Evan Nakatsuka (GM 6 30) to the State Rehabilitation Council; Koa Woolley (GM 6 31) to the Hawaii Health Systems Corporation board; and Kenneth Faria (GM 5 75) among others. For nearly all nominees the committee recorded the chair’s recommendation to advise and consent and adopted that recommendation.

Why it matters: these advisory bodies and boards provide guidance and oversight on public health planning, emergency medical services, mental health and substance use policy, elder affairs, and rehabilitation services. Confirmations shape the pool of community and professional expertise available to state agencies, and deferred or contested nominations can delay advisory input to those agencies.

Most nominees either spoke briefly or "stood on" their written testimony filed with the committee. Several nominees highlighted professional experience relevant to the positions: Jacob Pichelo identified himself as medical program manager with the Honolulu Fire Department and said he sought to ensure his department’s voice at the table for patient care; Roxanne Rowe described 35 years in nursing including 20 years as an advanced practice registered nurse and said she lives and practices on the island of Hawaii; Mariah Nichols said her background as a mental health therapist and social-media outreach supports outreach and membership goals for the State Rehabilitation Council.

Agency representatives — including staff from the Department of Health and the Department of Human Services — recorded formal support for a number of nominees. For example, Leah Diaz, DVR administrator, read DHS support on behalf of Director Ryan Yamane for Mariah Nichols and Evan Nakatsuka; Andrew Yonamura of the Department of Health’s Emergency Medical Service and Injury Prevention Branch testified in support of EMS nominees.

Votes at a glance: for each nomination where the committee recorded a roll or voice vote, the chair announced the recommendation was adopted with four members present, and no recorded "no" votes.

One item deferred: GM 5 72, Roxanne Rowe’s nomination to the Hawaii County Sub-Area Health Planning Council, was deferred. Committee leadership said decision making was postponed to the committee’s March 5 meeting pending receipt of answers to a questionnaire that the committee said had not been received in the public record; the transcript records the chair’s instruction to defer to March 5.

Process notes and next steps: the committee repeatedly noted nominees had provided written questionnaires and resumes on the legislative website; where nominees were not present in person, staff or agency representatives stood by written testimony. The committee closed by adopting the chair’s recommendations for the nominations it considered and adjourning.

Ending: With the recommendations adopted for most nominees and one nomination deferred, the committee concluded its calendar and invited nominees to remain briefly for a group photo.