Hawaii 2023 Regular Session

Hawaii House Bill HR129 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES H.R. NO. 129 THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2023 STATE OF HAWAII HOUSE RESOLUTION requesting INCREASED INTERAGENCY COORDINATION AND COLLABORATION BETWEEN COUNTY LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES, SOCIAL SERVICE PROVIDERS, and other stakeholders to assist and divert more individuals from the criminal justice system.
2	2
3	3	HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES H.R. NO. 129
4	4	THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2023
5	5	STATE OF HAWAII
6	6
7	7	HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
8	8
9	9	H.R. NO.
10	10
11	11	129
12	12
13	13	THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2023
14	14
15	15
16	16
17	17	STATE OF HAWAII
18	18
19	19
20	20
21	21
22	22
23	23
24	24
25	25
26	26
27	27
28	28
29	29	HOUSE RESOLUTION
30	30
31	31
32	32
33	33
34	34
35	35	requesting INCREASED INTERAGENCY COORDINATION AND COLLABORATION BETWEEN COUNTY LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES, SOCIAL SERVICE PROVIDERS, and other stakeholders to assist and divert more individuals from the criminal justice system.
36	36
37	37
38	38
39	39
40	40
41	41
42	42
43	43	WHEREAS, the assistance provided by law enforcement officers during interactions with individuals experiencing homelessness, behavioral health issues including substance use, or mental health issues is greatly enhanced when the officers are part of a coordinated and collaborative approach involving social service providers having specialized training and experience in addressing the needs of these individuals; and WHEREAS, this coordinated approach was pioneered in King County, Washington, in 2011 as a voluntary diversion program for individuals who were repeatedly being arrested for low-level criminal activity, and included collaboration among the Seattle Police Department, King County Sheriff's Office, King County Prosecutor, Seattle City Attorney, Washington State Department of Corrections, and treatment providers and nonprofit organizations; and WHEREAS, the King County program, also known as Seattle's LEAD or Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion program, diverted individuals engaged in low-level drug crimes, prostitution, and crimes associated with poverty away from the criminal justice system--thus bypassing prosecution and jail time-and connected them with intensive case managers to provide crisis response, immediate psychosocial assessment, and long-term wraparound services, including substance use disorder treatment and stable housing; and WHEREAS, this strategy of working with law enforcement officers to intercept and channel individuals into community-based interventions effectively disrupted the cycling of these individuals through the criminal justice system, using a harm reduction-based model of care that aimed to help program participants meet their basic needs and achieve stability in the community; and WHEREAS, multiple evaluations of Seattle's LEAD program have identified reductions in recidivism and in use of the criminal justice system, along with meaningful improvements in housing and employment outcomes for program participants; and WHEREAS, the LEAD model produced such a positive response that in 2015, the White House hosted a national convening of delegates from nearly thirty United States jurisdictions that included district attorneys, police chiefs, city council members, community police reform advocates, state legislators, and human services providers; and WHEREAS, the LEAD model is now identified as a promising practice by the National Institute of Justice, and the Bureau of Justice Assistance of the United States Department of Justice is providing technical assistance grants for other jurisdictions interested in replicating the LEAD program; and WHEREAS, in Hawaii, pilot efforts to adopt the LEAD model were made by county police departments and in 2017, the Legislature funded Honolulu's LEAD program through the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division of the Department of Health, in collaboration with the Governor's Coordinator on Homelessness; and WHEREAS, a two-year program evaluation report published in 2020 found that program clients reported decreased use of emergency shelters; decreased hospital admissions; fewer emergency room visits; decreased methamphetamine use; greater housing stability; and an overall improvement in quality of life, due to greater social support, less stress, and improved mental health; and WHEREAS, given the demonstrated success of LEAD-style programs nationally, on Oahu, and in neighbor island counties, further efforts should be made to increase interagency coordination and collaboration between county law enforcement agencies, social service providers, and other stakeholders to assist and divert more individuals from the criminal justice system; now, therefore, BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Thirty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2023, that county police departments are requested to develop and provide updated and expanded training, in collaboration and consultation with the Department of Health and University of Hawaii, to officers having frequent contact with individuals experiencing homelessness, behavioral health issues including substance use, or mental health issues; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Health is requested to provide trained personnel to accompany county police officers to calls involving individuals experiencing homelessness, behavioral health issues including substance use, or mental health issues, for the purpose of providing assistance in addressing the particular needs of these individuals, including referrals to any necessary support and treatment services; and the Department of Health is also requested to collaborate and consult with county police departments to develop updated and expanded training curriculum for county police officers; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the University of Hawaii is requested to provide technical assistance to county police departments and the Department of Health, such as assistance with the following suggested endeavors: (1) Training and professional development opportunities, including continuing education courses, for behavioral health and mental health personnel employed or contracted by the Department of Health; (2) The development of a school-to-work pipeline to rapidly respond to the increased demand for behavioral health, mental health, and other social service providers, including the establishment of paid student externships wherein students enrolled in a health science- or social science-related program of the University of Hawaii system may gain practical work experience in assisting individuals experiencing homelessness, behavioral health issues including substance use, or mental health issues, under the supervision of qualified Department of Health personnel; and (3) An assessment and evaluation of the current degree of coordination and collaboration between county law enforcement agencies, the Department of Health and any of its contracted service providers, and any other relevant stakeholders involved in assisting individuals experiencing homelessness, behavioral health issues including substance use, or mental health issues; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Governor's Coordinator on Homelessness; Director of Health; President of the University of Hawaii; Chiefs of Police of the counties of Hawaii, Maui, Kauai, and of the City and County of Honolulu; and Executive Director of Partners in Care. OFFERED BY: _____________________________ Report Title: Interagency Coordination; County Law Enforcement; DOH; UH
44	44
45	45	WHEREAS, the assistance provided by law enforcement officers during interactions with individuals experiencing homelessness, behavioral health issues including substance use, or mental health issues is greatly enhanced when the officers are part of a coordinated and collaborative approach involving social service providers having specialized training and experience in addressing the needs of these individuals; and
46	46
47	47
48	48
49	49	WHEREAS, this coordinated approach was pioneered in King County, Washington, in 2011 as a voluntary diversion program for individuals who were repeatedly being arrested for low-level criminal activity, and included collaboration among the Seattle Police Department, King County Sheriff's Office, King County Prosecutor, Seattle City Attorney, Washington State Department of Corrections, and treatment providers and nonprofit organizations; and
50	50
51	51
52	52
53	53	WHEREAS, the King County program, also known as Seattle's LEAD or Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion program, diverted individuals engaged in low-level drug crimes, prostitution, and crimes associated with poverty away from the criminal justice system--thus bypassing prosecution and jail time-and connected them with intensive case managers to provide crisis response, immediate psychosocial assessment, and long-term wraparound services, including substance use disorder treatment and stable housing; and
54	54
55	55
56	56
57	57	WHEREAS, this strategy of working with law enforcement officers to intercept and channel individuals into community-based interventions effectively disrupted the cycling of these individuals through the criminal justice system, using a harm reduction-based model of care that aimed to help program participants meet their basic needs and achieve stability in the community; and
58	58
59	59
60	60
61	61	WHEREAS, multiple evaluations of Seattle's LEAD program have identified reductions in recidivism and in use of the criminal justice system, along with meaningful improvements in housing and employment outcomes for program participants; and
62	62
63	63
64	64
65	65	WHEREAS, the LEAD model produced such a positive response that in 2015, the White House hosted a national convening of delegates from nearly thirty United States jurisdictions that included district attorneys, police chiefs, city council members, community police reform advocates, state legislators, and human services providers; and
66	66
67	67
68	68
69	69	WHEREAS, the LEAD model is now identified as a promising practice by the National Institute of Justice, and the Bureau of Justice Assistance of the United States Department of Justice is providing technical assistance grants for other jurisdictions interested in replicating the LEAD program; and
70	70
71	71
72	72
73	73	WHEREAS, in Hawaii, pilot efforts to adopt the LEAD model were made by county police departments and in 2017, the Legislature funded Honolulu's LEAD program through the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division of the Department of Health, in collaboration with the Governor's Coordinator on Homelessness; and
74	74
75	75
76	76
77	77	WHEREAS, a two-year program evaluation report published in 2020 found that program clients reported decreased use of emergency shelters; decreased hospital admissions; fewer emergency room visits; decreased methamphetamine use; greater housing stability; and an overall improvement in quality of life, due to greater social support, less stress, and improved mental health; and
78	78
79	79
80	80
81	81	WHEREAS, given the demonstrated success of LEAD-style programs nationally, on Oahu, and in neighbor island counties, further efforts should be made to increase interagency coordination and collaboration between county law enforcement agencies, social service providers, and other stakeholders to assist and divert more individuals from the criminal justice system; now, therefore,
82	82
83	83
84	84
85	85	BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Thirty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2023, that county police departments are requested to develop and provide updated and expanded training, in collaboration and consultation with the Department of Health and University of Hawaii, to officers having frequent contact with individuals experiencing homelessness, behavioral health issues including substance use, or mental health issues; and
86	86
87	87
88	88
89	89	BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Health is requested to provide trained personnel to accompany county police officers to calls involving individuals experiencing homelessness, behavioral health issues including substance use, or mental health issues, for the purpose of providing assistance in addressing the particular needs of these individuals, including referrals to any necessary support and treatment services; and the Department of Health is also requested to collaborate and consult with county police departments to develop updated and expanded training curriculum for county police officers; and
90	90
91	91
92	92
93	93	BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the University of Hawaii is requested to provide technical assistance to county police departments and the Department of Health, such as assistance with the following suggested endeavors:
94	94
95	95
96	96
97	97	(1) Training and professional development opportunities, including continuing education courses, for behavioral health and mental health personnel employed or contracted by the Department of Health;
98	98
99	99
100	100
101	101	(2) The development of a school-to-work pipeline to rapidly respond to the increased demand for behavioral health, mental health, and other social service providers, including the establishment of paid student externships wherein students enrolled in a health science- or social science-related program of the University of Hawaii system may gain practical work experience in assisting individuals experiencing homelessness, behavioral health issues including substance use, or mental health issues, under the supervision of qualified Department of Health personnel; and
102	102
103	103
104	104
105	105	(3) An assessment and evaluation of the current degree of coordination and collaboration between county law enforcement agencies, the Department of Health and any of its contracted service providers, and any other relevant stakeholders involved in assisting individuals experiencing homelessness, behavioral health issues including substance use, or mental health issues; and
106	106
107	107
108	108
109	109	BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Governor's Coordinator on Homelessness; Director of Health; President of the University of Hawaii; Chiefs of Police of the counties of Hawaii, Maui, Kauai, and of the City and County of Honolulu; and Executive Director of Partners in Care.
110	110
111	111
112	112
113	113
114	114
115	115
116	116
117	117	OFFERED BY: _____________________________
118	118
119	119
120	120
121	121	OFFERED BY:
122	122
123	123	_____________________________
124	124
125	125
126	126
127	127
128	128
129	129	Report Title:
130	130
131	131	Interagency Coordination; County Law Enforcement; DOH; UH