STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1570

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    H.B. No. 162

       H.D. 1

       S.D. 2

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred H.B. No. 162, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO STATE FINANCES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to transfer the family support divisions of the City and County of Honolulu and the County of Hawaii, whose functions, duties, responsibilities, and activities relate to child support enforcement, to the Department of the Attorney General, effective October 1, 2007.

     This measure also requires the Child Support Enforcement Agency to impose an annual fee where no public assistance had been paid to the custodial parent and collection for the case exceeds $500.

     Your Committee received comments in support of this measure from the Department of the Attorney General, the Corporation Counsel of the County of Hawaii, the Corporation Counsel of the City and County of Honolulu, and the Hawaii Government Employees Association, AFSCME Local 152.

     Upon further consideration, your Committee has made various technical amendments to ensure that the rights and benefits of those officers and employees being transferred are fully protected so as to cause a minimum of disruption and stress due to the transfer.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 162, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 162, H.D. 1, S.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

____________________________

ROSALYN H. BAKER, Chair