STAND. COM. REP. NO. 407

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 905

       S.D. 1

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2009

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committees on Labor and Human Services, to which was referred S.B. No. 905 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE OFFICE OF COMMUNITY SERVICES,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to transfer the Office of Community Services (OCS) from the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations to the Department of Human Services.

     Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by three state agencies.  Testimony in opposition to this measure was submitted by one organization.  Comments were submitted by two organizations.  Written testimony presented to the Committees may be reviewed on the Legislature's website.

     Your Committees find that the Office of Community Services was originally created to consolidate programs that promoted economic and personal self-sufficiency.  Initially, the focus of OCS was on programs that trained and prepared people for employment, which made OCS appropriately attached to the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations.

     Your Committees find that over time, OCS developed programs linked to the Employment Core Services, which programs serve low‑income, immigrant, and refugee populations.  According to OCS, the number of people served by the Employment Core Services in fiscal year 2008 was slightly over 1,900 individuals, while the number of people served by other programs in OCS was over 25,000.

     Your Committees find that the transfer of OCS administratively to the Department of Human Services would be appropriate given OCS's current focus.  Your Committees further find that the transfer would streamline governmental operations and better provide low-income people, disadvantaged people, refugees, immigrants, and homeless people with the tools to attain self-sufficiency, such as employment and job training, child care, and general assistance.

     Your Committees note the following comments of Catholic Charities Hawaii and the Inter-Agency Council for Immigrant and Refugee Services and recommends that these concerns be addressed as the Legislature further debates this measure:

     (1)  The transfer should not affect the ability of OCS to maintain efficient and timely payment to service providers;

     (2)  The transfer should not result in any cuts to immigrant program funding or attempts to have services for immigrants consolidated into programs for low-income persons;

     (3)  The concept of self-sufficiency should continue to include job creation as well as regular employment programs; and

     (4)  OCS's milestone payment system should be operated according to realistic milestone objectives.

     Your Committees have amended this measure by making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Labor and Human Services that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 905, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 905, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

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

____________________________ SUZANNE CHUN OAKLAND, Chair

____________________________ DWIGHT Y. TAKAMINE, Chair