STAND. COM. REP. NO.3180

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2002

RE: H.B. No. 2495

S.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2002

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred H.B. No. 2495 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT MAKING AN EMERGENCY APPROPRIATION FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to make an emergency appropriation to provide foster board and board related costs, permanency assistance, and difficulty-of-care payments for foster and adoptive parents, permanent custodians, and guardians of children with special needs.

Specifically, emergency appropriations are made in the following amounts:

(1) General Funds: $2,268,663

(2) Other Federal Funds: $1,538,194

Your Committee finds that the State has an obligation to provide foster care to abused and neglected children and to find permanent homes for those children who are unable to return to their original homes. Based on the figures submitted by the Department of Human Services, the Department will be unable to cover the costs of these services with the amount appropriated in the General Appropriations Act of 2002. Therefore, your Committee finds that the emergency appropriation provided in this measure is appropriate and necessary to meet the needs of Hawaii's children.

Upon further consideration, your Committee has amended this bill by adding a new section 3 and by re-numbering the remaining sections accordingly. The new section declares that the appropriation contained in this measure will cause the general fund expenditure ceiling for fiscal year 2001-2002 to be exceeded, and that the appropriation is necessary to serve a public interest.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2495, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2495, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

____________________________

BRIAN T. TANIGUCHI, Chair