STAND. COM. REP. NO. 147

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2005

RE: S.B. No. 472

S.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2005

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Human Services, to which was referred S.B. No. 472 entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to require the Department of Human Services to recognize individuals who have not received a decision on their application for public assistance within the time specified in the administrative rules to be presumptively eligible until an eligibility decision is made.

Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the Legal Aid Society and two individuals. Testimony in opposition to this measure was submitted by the Department of Human Services.

Your Committee finds that the Department of Human Services is required to meet the deadlines that it sets for itself for making a decision on eligibility for public assistance. Thus, your Committee believes that if the department has not rendered a decision on the application for public assistance, the applicant shall be presumptively eligible until a decision is made.

Your Committee has adopted the amendment suggested by the Legal Aid Society to provide exceptions to the presumptively eligible standard when the applicant causes a delay in the process. Your Committee has also made technical amendments to this measure.

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 S.B. No. 472, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 472, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

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

____________________________

SUZANNE CHUN OAKLAND, Chair