STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1124-12

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2012

RE:   S.B. No. 2796

      S.D. 1

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2012

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Human Services, to which was referred S.B. No. 2796, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO DEATH BENEFITS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to make permanent the decreased death benefit amount for medical and financial assistance recipients that was implemented by Act 205, part II, Session Laws of Hawaii 2010.

     This measure also clarifies that the Department of Human Services is responsible for payment of mortuary and crematory services for unclaimed dead human bodies only after reviewing and approving the efforts made to determine that the body is unclaimed.

The Department of Human Services testified in strong support of this measure.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Human Services that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2796, S.D. 1, and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Human Services,

____________________________

JOHN M. MIZUNO, Chair