Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2003

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Human Services, to which was referred S.B. No. 1052 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funds for a grant-in-aid to Maui Economic Opportunity, Inc., for the replacement of nineteen buses.

Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by Mayor Alan M. Arakawa of Maui; the Maui County Council; Maui Economic Opportunity, Inc.; the Maui Arts and Cultural Center; the Joint Advocacy Committee on Senior Affairs (JACOSA); Hospice Maui; Maui United Way; the Salvation Army, Kahului Corps Community Center; Hale Mahaolu; Hale Makua; the Maui Senior Citizens' Planning and Coordination Council; Maui Adult Day Care Centers; Hui No Ke Ola Pono, Maui's Native Hawaiian Health Care System; Imua Rehab; Ka Lima O Maui; Hui Malama Learning Center; and a concerned citizen.

Your Committee finds that Maui Economic Opportunity's nationally award-winning transportation program is Maui's only "mass transit" bus service, providing much-needed transportation for 20,000 low-income, elders, persons with disabilities, medically needy residents, and children and youth on the islands of Maui, Lanai, and Molokai last year alone. The transportation program has an annual budget of $4 million from federal, State, county and private sources; however, because of Maui Economic Opportunity's successful efforts to secure funding from these various sources, only $750,000 in State funds over the next biennium is requested.

Your Committee further finds that the scheduled maintenance, repair and replacement of nineteen buses between 2003 and 2005 would allow Maui Economic Opportunity to continue to safely provide this important transportation service throughout Maui County.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Human Services that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1052 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.