STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1001

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    S.R. No. 27

       S.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Shan S. Tsutsui

President of the Senate

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2011

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committees on Public Safety, Government Operations, and Military Affairs and Health, to which was referred S.R. No. 27 entitled:

 

"SENATE RESOLUTION STRONGLY URGING THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR AND THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL FEDERAL AID TO THE STATE OF HAWAII FOR THE PROVISION OF VARIOUS STATE SERVICES TO MIGRANTS FROM THE COMPACT OF FREE ASSOCIATION NATIONS; DEEM MIGRANTS ELIGIBLE TO RECEIVE FEDERALLY FUNDED FINANCIAL AND MEDICAL ASSISTANCE; AND PROVIDE DIALYSIS AND CHEMOTHERAPY CENTERS IN MICRONESIA AND ALL AREAS WITHIN THE COMPACT OF FREE ASSOCIATION NATIONS,"

 

beg leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to urge the United States Department of the Interior and the United States Congress to provide additional federal aid to the State of Hawaii for the provision of various state services to migrants from the Compact of Free Association Nations; deem migrants eligible to receive federally funded financial and medical assistance; and provide dialysis and chemotherapy centers in Micronesia and all areas within the Compact of Free Association Nations.

 

     Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Human Services, Superintendent of Education, Healthcare Association of Hawaii, Hawaii Medical Association, and American Cancer Society.  Your Committees received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations.

 

     Your Committees find that the cost to the State to provide various state services to the Compact of Free Association migrants continues to increase each year.  Migrants from the Compact of Free Association nations are proportionally over-represented in the population of persons who receive various state social services in Hawaii.  The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 prevents needy persons from the Compact of Free Association nations from receiving federally funded financial and medical assistance.  If the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 is amended to allow the Compact of Free Association migrants to receive federally funded financial and medical assistance, the State would not have to expend state funds to provide the equivalent services, thus allowing more of the State's general funds to be used for services and programs for which federal funding is not available.

 

     Your Committees have amended this measure by making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

 

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Public Safety, Government Operations, and Military Affairs and Health that are attached to this report, your Committees concur with the intent and purpose of S.R. No. 27, as amended herein, and recommend that it be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, in the form attached hereto as S.R. No. 27, S.D. 1.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Public Safety, Government Operations, and Military Affairs and Health,

 

____________________________

JOSH GREEN, M.D., Chair

 

____________________________

WILL ESPERO, Chair