STAND. COM. REP. NO. 524

                                   Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                     , 1999

                                   RE:  S.B. No. 1055
                                        




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

Sir:

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

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

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to include future categories
of unclaimed cash assistance benefits, to be expunged through the
electronic benefit transfer (EBT) system.

     Testimony in favor of this measure was received from the
Department of Human Services.

     This administration measure provides the Department of Human
Services with the flexibility to allow other cash benefits to be
disbursed through the existing Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT)
system.  Currently, the various types of cash assistance benefits
that the Department issues via the EBT system include Temporary
Assistance to Needy Families (TANF), Temporary Assistance to
Other Needy Families (TAONF), General Assistance (GA), and Aid to
the Aged, Blind, and Disabled (AABD).  As technology improves and
modifications to the EBT system are made, the Department plans to
add other cash benefits onto its system.  Future programs to be
added include child care and foster care payments.

     Your Committee finds that the Department of Human Service's
implementation of the EBT system has been successful.  Your
Committee further finds that this measure will allow the

 
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                                   STAND. COM. REP. NO. 524
                                   Page 2


Department to proceed to disperse the benefits of future
assistance programs without having to constantly revise this
Hawaii Revised Statutes section.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Health and Human Services that is attached to this
report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose
of S.B. No. 1055 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and
be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

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



                                   ______________________________
                                   SUZANNE CHUN OAKLAND, Chair

 
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