STAND. COM. REP. NO. 15-00

                                 Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                   , 2000

                                 RE: H.B. No. 2371
                                     




Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say
Speaker, House of Representatives
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 2000
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Human Services and Housing, to which was
referred H.B. No. 2371 entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO GENERAL ASSISTANCE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to stabilize General Assistance
(GA) payments by authorizing the Department of Human Services
(DHS) to retain any unexpended GA appropriations at the close of
a fiscal year.

     DHS, Kokua Council, the Welfare and Employment Rights
Coalition, and one individual testified in support of this
measure.  The Department of Budget and Finance testified in
opposition to this measure.

     GA recipients are unable to count on a stable income because
GA payments fluctuates quarterly based on the number of people
participating in the program.  Instead of retroactively providing
adjusted benefits, which is the current practice, your Committee
finds that this measure will help stabilize the payment amounts
and enable persons to plan their lives more reasonably.

     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 H.B. No. 2371 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and
be referred to the Committee on Finance.


 
 
                                 STAND. COM. REP. NO. 15-00
                                 Page 2

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



                                   ______________________________
                                   DENNIS A. ARAKAKI, Chair