STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1255

                                 Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                   , 1999

                                 RE: S.B. No. 1055
                                     S.D. 1
                                     H.D. 1




Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say
Speaker, House of Representatives
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 1999
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Human Services and Housing, to which was
referred S.B. No. 1055, S.D. 1, entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO UNCLAIMED FINANCIAL
     ASSISTANCE BENEFITS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to expand the types of benefits
payments that may be claimed by the State when abandoned in the
Department of Human Services' (DHS) Electronic Benefit Transfer
System (system) to include all benefits in the system.

     The DHS testified in support of this measure.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Providing that the abandoned payments revert back to
          the program's appropriation from which the funds were
          expended; and

     (2)  Allowing DHS to offset the abandoned claim balance
          against any outstanding overpayments still owed by the
          household prior to reversion.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Human Services and Housing that is attached to this
report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose
of S.B. No. 1055, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that

 
 
                                 STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1255
                                 Page 2

 
it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No.
1055, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on
Finance.

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



                                   ______________________________
                                   DENNIS A. ARAKAKI, Chair