STAND. COM. REP. NO. 236
Honolulu, Hawaii
, 2005
RE: H.B. No. 1144
H.D. 1
Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say
Speaker, House of Representatives
Twenty-Third State Legislature
Regular Session of 2005
State of Hawaii
Sir:
Your Committees on Health and Human Services, to which was referred H.B. No. 1144 entitled:
"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO SOCIAL WORKERS,"
beg leave to report as follows:
The purpose of this bill is to encourage social workers to enter government service by providing financial assistance to certain social workers in the Departments of Health, Human Services, and Labor and Industrial Relations by:
(1) Establishing applicable social work student loan subsidy programs (Programs);
(2) Establishing applicable social work student loan subsidy programs special funds; and
(3) Appropriating funds for the Programs.
The Department of Human Resources Development, Hawaii Government Employees Association, and concerned individuals testified in support of this bill. The National Association of Social Workers and concerned individuals supported this measure with amendments. The Department of Human Services supported the intent of the bill.
Your Committees find that a student loan repayment program would encourage individuals to enter the field of social work and provide an incentive for those already in the field to pursue further academic and professional credentials.
After careful consideration, your Committees believe that the benefits of these Programs should be extended to social workers in other state departments and criteria should be established for loan repayment, default, and obligatory employment.
Accordingly, your Committees have amended this bill by:
(1) Including the Departments of Education and Public Safety in the Programs, since they also have social work positions;
(2) Including licensed bachelor social workers in the Programs;
(3) Changing the minimum work requirement to qualify for the Programs from ten years to two years, to maintain consistency with other work repayment programs;
(4) Stipulating that if a social worker receiving loan repayments separates from employment prior to the completion of two years of the repayment period, the department's liability for further repayment is cancelled and the individual must reimburse the department for all amounts paid pursuant to the Program;
(5) Stipulating that the department's liability for further repayment is cancelled if a social worker receiving repayment separates from employment after two years but before the maximum ten-year repayment period; and
(6) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for clarity, consistency, and style.
As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Health and Human Services that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1144, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1144, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Labor & Public Employment.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Health and Human Services,
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____________________________ ALEX M. SONSON, Chair |
____________________________ DENNIS A. ARAKAKI, Chair |
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