STAND. COM. REP. NO.  444

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2009

RE:   H.B. No. 1065

      H.D. 1

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2009

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committees on Human Services and Health, to which was referred H.B. No. 1065 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT MAKING AN APPROPRIATION FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES TO ADDRESS THE BUDGET SHORTFALL,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to appropriate $15,000,000 from the Emergency and Budget Reserve Fund, in lieu of general funds, for the Department of Human Services (DHS) Health Care Payments Program (HMS401) for fiscal year 2009-2010.

     The Department of Budget and Finance and DHS offered comments.

     Your Committees note that as of February 12, 2009, the Legislature has not yet received the Administration's budget requests and itemized priorities that take into account the Council of Revenues' recent projections.  The Legislature needs detailed guidance from DHS and the Department of Health on fiscal issues before it authorizes the use of funds.

     Accordingly, your Committees have amended this bill by:

     (1)  Changing the effective date to January 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion; and

     (2)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for clarity, consistency, and style.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Human Services and Health that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1065, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1065, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Human Services and Health,

____________________________ RYAN I. YAMANE, Chair

____________________________ JOHN M. MIZUNO, Chair