STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2772

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 2840

       S.D. 2

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2008

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 2840, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO SELF-SUFFICIENCY,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to require the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism to establish and update a self-sufficiency standard for the State.

     More specifically, the measure directs the Department to establish a methodology that truly reflects the cost of living in Hawaii.  In turn, such a tool could be used by public, private, and non-profit decision-makers in their efforts to help lower income families reach economic self-sufficiency.

     Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the Hawaii Alliance for Community-Based Economic Development, the Legal Aid Society of Hawaii, the National Association of Social Workers, and Hawaii Women Work!  Testimony supporting the intent of the measure was submitted by the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism and the Department of Human Services.

     Your Committee has amended this measure to clarify that the self-sufficiency standard shall be updated biennially, or every two years.  The measure is further amended to require the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism to report biennially to the Legislature regarding the self-sufficiency standard.  Other technical, nonsubstantive amendments have been made for the purpose of style and consistency.

     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 S.B. No. 2840, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2840, S.D. 2.

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

____________________________

ROSALYN H. BAKER, Chair