CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REP. 108
Honolulu, Hawaii
, 2003
RE: S.B. No. 585
S.D. 1
H.D. 1
C.D. 1
Honorable Robert Bunda
President of the Senate
Twenty-Second State Legislature
Regular Session of 2003
State of Hawaii
Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say
Speaker, House of Representatives
Twenty-Second State Legislature
Regular Session of 2003
State of Hawaii
Sir:
Your Committee on Conference on the disagreeing vote of the Senate to the amendments proposed by the House of Representatives in S.B. No. 585, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, entitled:
"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO STATE FUNDS,"
having met, and after full and free discussion, has agreed to recommend and does recommend to the respective Houses the final passage of this bill in an amended form.
The purpose of this measure is to improve services under the children's health insurance program by appropriating moneys from the Hawaii Tobacco Settlement Special Fund to:
(1) Expand eligibility to 300 per cent of federal poverty guidelines or the maximum amount allowed by federal officials; and
(2) Provide outreach services to qualified children.
Upon consideration of this measure, your Committee on Conference has amended this measure by:
(1) Replacing its contents with the Senate version of this measure, S.B. No. 585, S.D. 1, which makes an emergency appropriation of unexpended tobacco settlement moneys to the Department of Human Services to fund children's health programs for fiscal year 2002-2003; and
(2) Specifying that the effective date of this measure shall be the date of its approval.
Your Committee on Conference finds that this is an acceptable approach to allow the Department of Human Services (DHS) to utilize surplus tobacco settlement moneys in the 2002-2003 fiscal year. DHS has reassured your Committee on Conference that this emergency appropriation is a one-time request. Your Committee on Conference emphasizes that the emergency appropriation provided by this measure involves an extraordinary circumstance.
Your Committee on Conference further requests that DHS:
(1) Redouble their outreach efforts to educate families about available children's health programs;
(2) Seek out and identify children that may participate in those programs;
(3) Streamline and simplify the application process for children's health insurance program applicants;
(4) Work with public school health aides and public health nurses to identify students who are uninsured; and
(5) Provide a report on the progress of these efforts to the 2004 Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2004.
As affirmed by the record of votes of the managers of your Committee on Conference that is attached to this report, your Committee on Conference is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 585, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Final Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 585, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, C.D. 1.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the managers:
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ON THE PART OF THE HOUSE |
ON THE PART OF THE SENATE |
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____________________________ MICHAEL P. KAHIKINA, Co-Chair |
____________________________ ROSALYN BAKER, Co-Chair |
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____________________________ DENNIS A. ARAKAKI, Co-Chair |
____________________________ RUSSELL KOKUBUN, Co-Chair |
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____________________________ DWIGHT Y. TAKAMINE, Co-Chair |
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