STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2071

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 2223

       S.D. 1

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2008

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Human Services and Public Housing, to which was referred S.B. No. 2223 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HUMAN SERVICES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funds to the Department of Human Services to provide independent living skills training, and to authorize general obligation bonds for transitional housing, for current and former foster children.

     Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by Hale Kipa, Inc.  Oral testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the Department of Human Services. 

     Your Committee finds that this measure addresses a critical shortfall in youth services, and that supporting current and former foster youth in strengthening their independent living skills would benefit both them and our communities.  Your Committee further finds that the Department of Human Services has changed its plan to build transitional housing into a plan to provide housing assistance vouchers to further increase independent living skills by enabling the youth to find their own housing, and that the Department no longer seeks the authorization of general obligation bonds.

     Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Adding operating of the voucher program to the general funds appropriation and removing the authorization of general obligation bonds; and

     (2)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and style.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Human Services and Public Housing that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2223, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2223, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Human Services and Public Housing,

____________________________

SUZANNE CHUN OAKLAND, Chair