Hawaii 2025 Regular Session

Hawaii Senate Bill SB823 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	THE SENATE S.B. NO. 823 THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2025 STATE OF HAWAII A BILL FOR AN ACT relating to Early CHILD Intervention. BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:
2	2
3	3	THE SENATE S.B. NO. 823
4	4	THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2025
5	5	STATE OF HAWAII
6	6
7	7	THE SENATE
8	8
9	9	S.B. NO.
10	10
11	11	823
12	12
13	13	THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2025
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
30	30
31	31	A BILL FOR AN ACT
32	32
33	33
34	34
35	35
36	36
37	37	relating to Early CHILD Intervention.
38	38
39	39
40	40
41	41
42	42
43	43	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:
44	44
45	45
46	46
47	47	SECTION 1. The legislature finds that the State continues to face various challenges when addressing the needs of children with special needs under the age of three. One of these challenges includes significant vacancy rates for the State's early intervention providers, as Hawaii has a thirty to forty-two per cent vacancy rate across all early intervention programs. The impacts of these challenges include infant and toddler development and the State's ability to be in compliance with certain federal mandates. The legislature further finds that addressing recruitment and retention of certain early intervention specialists will allow the State to fill vacant positions and ensure that infants and toddlers with special needs receive the services they are entitled to. Additionally, establishing mental health specialist positions will help increase the State's resources to meet infant and early childhood mental health needs. The purpose of this Act is to: (1) Require the department of human resources development to reclassify certain positions within the early childhood services unit of the department of health early intervention section; and (2) Appropriate funds for the reclassification of certain positions and establishment of mental health specialist positions within the early childhood services unit of the department of health early intervention section. SECTION 2. The department of human resources development shall reclassify the following positions within the early childhood services unit of the department of health early intervention section as follows: (1) Physical therapist III to physical therapist IV; (2) Special education teacher III to special education teacher IV; and (3) Occupational therapist III to occupational therapist IV. SECTION 3. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $48,000 or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2025-2026 and the same sum or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2026-2027 for the reclassification of certain positions within the early childhood services unit of the department of health early intervention section pursuant to section 2 of this Act. The sums appropriated shall be expended by the department of health for the purposes of this Act. SECTION 4. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $142,032 or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2025-2026 and the same sum or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2026-2027 for the establishment of two full-time equivalent (2.00 FTE) permanent mental health specialist positions within the early childhood services unit of the department of health early intervention section; provided that the salary schedule for each position shall be set at a mental health specialist salary schedule. The sums appropriated shall be expended by the department of health for the purposes of this Act. SECTION 5. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2025. INTRODUCED BY: _____________________________
48	48
49	49	SECTION 1. The legislature finds that the State continues to face various challenges when addressing the needs of children with special needs under the age of three. One of these challenges includes significant vacancy rates for the State's early intervention providers, as Hawaii has a thirty to forty-two per cent vacancy rate across all early intervention programs. The impacts of these challenges include infant and toddler development and the State's ability to be in compliance with certain federal mandates.
50	50
51	51	The legislature further finds that addressing recruitment and retention of certain early intervention specialists will allow the State to fill vacant positions and ensure that infants and toddlers with special needs receive the services they are entitled to. Additionally, establishing mental health specialist positions will help increase the State's resources to meet infant and early childhood mental health needs.
52	52
53	53	The purpose of this Act is to:
54	54
55	55	(1) Require the department of human resources development to reclassify certain positions within the early childhood services unit of the department of health early intervention section; and
56	56
57	57	(2) Appropriate funds for the reclassification of certain positions and establishment of mental health specialist positions within the early childhood services unit of the department of health early intervention section.
58	58
59	59	SECTION 2. The department of human resources development shall reclassify the following positions within the early childhood services unit of the department of health early intervention section as follows:
60	60
61	61	(1) Physical therapist III to physical therapist IV;
62	62
63	63	(2) Special education teacher III to special education teacher IV; and
64	64
65	65	(3) Occupational therapist III to occupational therapist IV.
66	66
67	67	SECTION 3. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $48,000 or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2025-2026 and the same sum or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2026-2027 for the reclassification of certain positions within the early childhood services unit of the department of health early intervention section pursuant to section 2 of this Act.
68	68
69	69	The sums appropriated shall be expended by the department of health for the purposes of this Act.
70	70
71	71	SECTION 4. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $142,032 or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2025-2026 and the same sum or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2026-2027 for the establishment of two full-time equivalent (2.00 FTE) permanent mental health specialist positions within the early childhood services unit of the department of health early intervention section; provided that the salary schedule for each position shall be set at a mental health specialist salary schedule.
72	72
73	73	The sums appropriated shall be expended by the department of health for the purposes of this Act.
74	74
75	75	SECTION 5. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2025.
76	76
77	77
78	78
79	79	INTRODUCED BY: _____________________________
80	80
81	81	INTRODUCED BY:
82	82
83	83	_____________________________
84	84
85	85
86	86
87	87
88	88
89	89	Report Title: Early Intervention Services; Early Intervention Specialists; Department of Health; Positions; Reclassification; Department of Human Resources Development; Appropriation Description: Requires the Department of Human Resources Development to reclassify certain early intervention specialist positions within the Early Childhood Services Unit in the Department of Health. Appropriates funds for the reclassification of certain positions and establishment of new positions within the early childhood services unit. The summary description of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.
90	90
91	91
92	92
93	93
94	94
95	95	Report Title:
96	96
97	97	Early Intervention Services; Early Intervention Specialists; Department of Health; Positions; Reclassification; Department of Human Resources Development; Appropriation
98	98
99	99
100	100
101	101	Description:
102	102
103	103	Requires the Department of Human Resources Development to reclassify certain early intervention specialist positions within the Early Childhood Services Unit in the Department of Health. Appropriates funds for the reclassification of certain positions and establishment of new positions within the early childhood services unit.
104	104
105	105
106	106
107	107
108	108
109	109
110	110
111	111	The summary description of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.