STAND. COM. REP. NO. 283

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2005

RE: H.B. No. 243

 

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2005

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Human Services, to which was referred H.B. No. 243 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PUBLIC ASSISTANCE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to provide public assistance recipients with adequate income by:

(1) Increasing the standard of need as determined by the annually updated federal poverty level for the current year;

(2) Including households without minor dependents and assistance to the aged, blind, and disabled in calculating amounts of payment; and

(3) Providing that determinations of general assistance (GA) allowances be based on standard of need, among other factors, rather than on the total appropriations for GA.

The Legal Aid Society of Hawaii, National Association of Social Workers, members of the Welfare and Employment Rights Coalition, and several concerned individuals testified in support of this bill. The Department of Human Services (DHS) stated that it did not support this measure.

 

 

Your Committee recognizes that this measure is long overdue since it has been 12 years since the last increase in the standard of need. Hawaii's needy families are unable to keep up with the cost of living on payments they currently receive and with the restrictions placed on GA.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Human Services that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 243 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Human Services,

 

____________________________

ALEX M. SONSON, Chair