STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1312

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    H.B. No. 162

       H.D. 1

       S.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

 

Madam:

 

     Your Committee on Judiciary and Labor, to which was referred H.B. No. 162, H.D. 1, entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO STATE FINANCES,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this measure is to authorize the Child Support Enforcement Agency to impose an annual fee of $25 in those cases in which no public assistance has been paid to the custodial parent and at least $500 has been collected from the absent parent.

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Attorney General and the Corporation Counsel for the City and County of Honolulu.

 

     Your Committee notes that the fee proposed by this measure is necessary to comply with federal requirements imposed by the federal Deficit Reduction Act of 2005.  Because of recent proposed rulemaking by the United States Department of Health and Human Services clarifying the requirements of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, your Committee has amended this measure to require that the fee be collected and expended in accordance with the requirements of federal Title IV-D.

 

     Your Committee has also amended this measure to transfer the family support divisions of the City and County of Honolulu and the County of Hawaii whose functions, duties, responsibilities, and activities relate to child support enforcement to the Department of the Attorney General, effective October 1, 2007.  These twenty-four positions, ten from the City and County of Honolulu and fourteen from the County of Hawaii, have long been funded by the State pursuant to contract.  As amended, the bill will protect the transferred employees from loss of salary, benefits, and, where applicable, civil service status.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary and Labor that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 162, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 162, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Judiciary and Labor,

 

 

 

____________________________

CLAYTON HEE, Chair