STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1384

                                   Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                     , 1999

                                   RE:  H.B. No. 1124
                                        S.D. 1




Honorable Norman Mizuguchi
President of the Senate
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 1999
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Labor and Environment, to which was
referred H.B. No. 1124, S.D. 1, entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE STATE ADVISORY COUNCIL ON
     REHABILITATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to conform existing state law
to the federal Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998.

     This measure changes the name of the State Advisory Council
on Rehabilitation to State Rehabilitation Council and increases
the number of members on the council from nineteen to twenty-one.
In addition, this measure requires the State Rehabilitation
Council to:

     (1)  Set goals and priorities for the State relating to
          vocational rehabilitation;  

     (2)  Advise the vocational rehabilitation division of the
          department of human services; and 

     (3)  Assist in the preparation of the state plan and
          amendments to the plan, applications, reports, needs,
          assessment, and evaluations; and

     (4)  Review and analyze the performance of the vocational
          rehabilitation division and vocational rehabilitation
          services provided by other State agencies.

 
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                                   STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1384
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     Testimony in support of this measure was received from the
Department of Human Services, and the Commission on Persons with
Disabilities.

     Your Committee finds that this measure will conform state
law with the federal Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998.
These additional requirements of the State Rehabilitation Council
reflect the intent to increase the involvement of the Council in
improving services and to assure closer relationships with other
government programs that are required to provide services to
persons with disabilities.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Labor and Environment that is attached to this
report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose
of H.B. No. 1124, S.D. 1, and recommends that it pass Third
Reading.

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



                                   ______________________________
                                   BOB NAKATA, Chair

 
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