THE SENATE                           S.C.R. NO.            208
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2000                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                                
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                     SENATE CONCURRENT
                        RESOLUTION

REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES TO CONVENE A PUBLIC-
   PRIVATE INTERAGENCY WORKING GROUP TO HELP LOW-INCOME
   FAMILIES BECOME SELF-SUFFICIENT.



 1       WHEREAS, in 1996, Congress ended the Aid to Families with
 2   Dependent Children entitlement program and established the
 3   Personal and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996
 4   (Welfare Reform Act) block grant program; and
 5   
 6       WHEREAS, the primary goal of the Welfare Reform Act, which
 7   is authorized for only six years, through 2002, is to encourage
 8   welfare recipients to become self-sufficient; and
 9   
10       WHEREAS, when Congress considers options for reauthorizing
11   the block grant program, states that move beyond "welfare as we
12   knew it" and provide broad support for low-income working
13   families, may gain congressional support for their programs;
14   and
15   
16       WHEREAS, the Welfare Reform Act sets a five-year lifetime
17   limit on cash assistance to recipients of the State's Temporary
18   Assistance to Needy Families Program and the Temporary
19   Assistance to Other Needy Families Program; and
20   
21       WHEREAS, the first group of current welfare recipients will
22   reach their five-year lifetime limit by December 1, 2001, and
23   this is expected to affect an estimated 3,000 families; and
24   
25       WHEREAS, thousands of children will be affected by the loss
26   of their families' cash benefits due to reaching the five-year
27   lifetime limit; and
28   
29       WHEREAS, coordination between state agencies, the business
30   community, and the unions is necessary for job creation,
31   training, and placement of welfare recipients; and
32   
33       WHEREAS, effective, broad-based safety net programs need to
34   be developed, funded, and implemented to:

 
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 1       (1)  Overcome barriers to work;
 2   
 3       (2)  Increase job retention through key supports;
 4   
 5       (3)  Secure education, training, or work experience for
 6            higher paying jobs; and
 7   
 8       (4)  Reduce poverty among families and children;
 9   
10   and
11   
12       WHEREAS, the Urban Institute found that, nationally,
13   families that left the welfare rolls have low earnings and
14   continue to face significant obstacles in obtaining food and
15   adequate housing; now, therefore,
16   
17       BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twentieth Legislature
18   of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2000, the House of
19   Representatives concurring, that the Department of Human
20   Services (DHS) is requested to convene a public-private
21   interagency working group to help low-income families become
22   self-sufficient; and
23   
24       BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the working group is requested
25   to discuss, but not be limited to, the following models:
26   
27       (1)  Worker stipend programs;
28   
29       (2)  State Earned Income Tax Credits; and
30   
31       (3)  Job retention and advancement services;
32   
33   and
34   
35       BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the working group is requested
36   to develop a model that helps welfare recipients who reach the
37   five-year lifetime limit find jobs; and
38   
39       BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the working group include, but
40   not be limited to, individuals representing the following
41   organizations:

 
 
 
 
 
 
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 1       (1)  DHS;
 2   
 3       (2)  The Department of Business, Economic Development, and
 4            Tourism;
 5   
 6       (3)  The Department of Labor and Industrial Relations;
 7   
 8       (4)  Business associations;
 9   
10       (5)  Unions;
11   
12       (6)  The House of Representatives;
13   
14       (7)  The Senate;
15   
16       (8)  The Legal Aid Society of Hawaii (LASH);
17   
18       (9)  The Welfare and Employment Rights Coalition (WERC);
19            and
20   
21      (10)  The Financial Assistance Advisory Council (Advisory
22            Council);
23   
24   and
25   
26       BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that DHS is requested to report the
27   findings and recommendations of the working group, including
28   any proposed legislation, to the Legislature no later than
29   twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of
30   2001; and
31   
32       BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this
33   Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Directors of Human
34   Services and Business, Economic Development, and Tourism; the
35   Director of Labor and Industrial Relations, who is requested to
36   transmit this Concurrent Resolution to the unions; the
37   Executive Director of the Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii, who is
38   requested to transmit this Concurrent Resolution to business
39   association; the President of the Senate; the Speaker of the
40   House of Representatives; the Executive Director of LASH; and
41   the Chairpersons of WERC and the Advisory Council.
42 
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45                         OFFERED BY:  ____________________________