Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2004

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Human Services, to which was referred S.B. No. 2860 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to provide the Child Support Enforcement Agency with access to public health statistics records maintained by the Department of Health's Office of Health Status Monitoring.

The Department of Human Services, the Attorney General, and the Department of Health submitted testimony in support of this measure.

Your Committee finds that there is a need to provide child support enforcement agencies with access to vital statistics records to comply with federal regulations. In previous years, Hawaii was found to be out of compliance with paternity establishment performance requirements and was assessed penalties. The penalties imposed include a restriction of one percent during the federal fiscal year of 2004 on our Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Program block grant and the State will be required to appropriate an additional $980,000 in general funds during the federal fiscal year of 2006 for non-compliance. This measure will help ensure future compliance with federal requirements.

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. 2860 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs.