STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1438

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    H.B. No. 119

       H.D. 2

       S.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2015

State of Hawaii

 

Madam:

 

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred H.B. No. 119, H.D. 2, entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to require the Director of Finance to establish the Hawaii ABLE savings program to assist individuals with disabilities.

 

     Your Committee received written comments in support of this measure from the State Council on Developmental Disabilities, Disability and Communication Access Board, National Down Syndrome Society, Children's Community Council, Hawaii Disability Rights Center, Autism Society of Hawaii, and Easter Seals Hawaii.  Your Committee received written comments on this measure from the Department of Budget and Finance.

 

     Your Committee finds that ABLE savings accounts will provide individuals with disabilities with the same types of flexible savings accounts that people without disabilities have, such as college savings accounts, health savings accounts, and individual retirement accounts.  Furthermore, ABLE savings accounts will enable individuals with disabilities to accrue funds to pay for a variety of expenses, such as medical and dental care, education, community-based supports, employment training, assistive technology, housing, and transportation.

 

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

 

(1)  Clarifying the citation of the Stephen Beck, Jr., Achieving a Better Life Experience Act of 2014 to Division B of Public Law 113-295;

 

(2)  Removing redundant, substantive language from the definitions of "account owner" and "designated beneficiary" and inserting the non-redundant, substantive language into the operative provisions relating to the terms and conditions of the ABLE savings accounts; and

 

(3)  Adding an amendment to section 651-124, Hawaii Revised Statutes, to provide that the section applies to ABLE savings accounts.

 

     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. 119, H.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 119, H.D. 2, S.D. 1.

 

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

 

 

 

________________________________

JILL N. TOKUDA, Chair