Gov. Josh Green signs 13 bills into law
Jul. 9—With 1 in 4 adults in the United States either advanced in age or living with a disability, Green said that many will eventually require some sort of assistance provided in the bills.
Gov. Josh Green signed 13 bills at the state Capitol that aim to improve care for kupuna, encourage awareness and adaptability for disabled individuals, and make access to technology easy for those who are multilingual.
"We have many kupuna in our state, " Green said during Friday's bill-signing ceremony. "We have many individuals living with life challenges and disabilities, and they are equally powerful in our community when we give everyone a chance."
Four of the bills are directly related to improving care for kupuna, while three address needs related to those with disabilities.
With 1 in 4 adults in the United States either advanced in age or living with a disability, Green said that many will eventually require some sort of assistance provided in the bills.
Appearing with the governor Friday was State Sen. Henry Aquino (D, Pearl City-Waipahu-West Loch ), vice chair of the Senate Committee on Health and Human Serv ices, who said he was happy to be a part of efforts to ensure access to services and programs, especially to the nearly 20 % of Hawaii residents for whom English is not the primary language in their household.
State Rep. John Mizuno (D, Kamehameha Heights-Kalihi Valley ), who chairs the House Committee on Human Services, described the series of bills signed Friday as having "vision, being bold, having compassion and loving our ohana."
"This shows that we're not going to be Oahu-centric when it comes to our disability community, " he said during the ceremony. "We're an island state. We protect all islands."
Bills signed—requires the Department of Human Services to implement a pilot program for the blind and visually impaired to provide training and other serv ices to neighbor island residents.—requires the Department of Education to obtain instructional materials in accessible formats for all eligible students.—repeals the landlord exclusion to clarify that any person, corporation or entity is prohibited from knowingly referring or transferring patients to an uncertified or unlicensed care facility.—requires certain pharmacies to provide accessible prescription drug label information to individuals who have difficulty seeing or reading standard printed labels on prescription drug containers. The measure also requires that consumers be informed that prescription drug label information is available in alternate accessible formats.—appropriates funds for the Executive Office on Aging to implement a public health campaign for Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.—designates October as "Disability Awareness Month : Employment, Enrichment and Inclusion " in recognition of the employment challenges and successes of those with disabilities.—recognizes American Sign Language as a fully developed, autonomous, natural language with its own grammar, syntax, vocabulary and cultural heritage.—appropriates funds to the Public Utilities Commission to provide free telecommunications access to certain information to those who may have trouble with print materials.—requires the Judiciary to conduct a series of studies on interpreter fees.—requires the Executive Office on Aging to submit annual progress reports to the Legislature on the Hawaii State Health Insurance Assistance Program.—clarifies the allowable revenues to be deposited into the Executive Office on Aging Administrative Claiming Special Fund and the purposes for which the fund may be used.—appropriates funds for the establishment of three additional program specialist positions within the Executive Office on Aging for the state's Senior Medicare Patrol Program.—clarifies the penalty to be assessed against those who intentionally operate a care facility without a certificate or license.
