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. 923 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funds for a grant-in-aid to Catholic Charities Elderly Services for its Money Management Assistance to the Elderly Program.

Testimony in support of this measure was received from Catholic Charities Elderly Services. Testimony in support of the intent was received from the Department of Human Services.

Your Committee finds that Catholic Charities Elderly Services' Money Management Assistance to the Elderly Program is one of only two programs statewide that provide elders with much-needed money management assistance, and the only such program that allows elders to maintain control over their finances. Currently, the program is funded at $55,000 (1.4 FTE positions) annually and serves thirty clients at a time, with a wait list of twenty clients on Oahu alone. Catholic Charities Elderly Services has documented that there are at least twenty-five clients on Maui with an "immediate need" for services, and it is anticipated that results from the other neighbor islands would be similar.

Your Committee further finds that maintaining current funding levels at $55,000 annually would allow the continuation of Money Management Assistance to the Elderly Program in providing this valuable service to Oahu's elders. Expanding funding to $100,000 (2.0 FTE positions) would extend services to the wait list.

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. 923 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.