Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2005

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Human Services, to which was referred S.B. No. 475 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to increase the standard of need to an annually updated federal poverty level; include the general assistance as well as the aged, blind, and disabled programs for the calculation; and remove the limitation on making general assistance payments only from total appropriations made for general assistance.

Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by Blueprint for Change, Hawaii State Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Legal Aid Society of Hawaii, National Association of Social Workers – Hawaii Chapter, Parents and Children Together, Welfare Employment Rights Commission, and six individuals. Testimony in opposition to this measure was received from the Department of Human Services.

Your Committee finds that as the cost of living increases each year, the standard of need in Hawaii is still based on the federal poverty level in 1993. It is imperative that the State keep up with the cost of living and adopt a standard of need that allows individuals to maintain a household. Thus, your Committee believes that the State's standard of need should be annually updated to reflect the federal poverty level.

Your Committee has amended this measure by making technical, nonsubstantive changes for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

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. 475, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 475, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.