STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2641

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 2936

       S.D. 2

Honorable Shan S. Tsutsui

President of the Senate

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2012

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 2936, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PUBLIC ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to authorize the Department of Human Services to draw from other funds appropriated to the department if general assistance funds are insufficient to meet the needs of the general assistance benefits programs.

     Written comments in support of this measure were submitted by the Department of Human Services, Catholic Charities Hawaii, Legal Aid Society of Hawaii, and one individual.

     Your Committee finds that because the needs of general assistance benefits programs are so high, there are times when the funds are insufficient to meet the needs of the programs.  Your Committee also finds that authorizing the Department of Human Services to draw from other funds that are appropriated to the department allows uninterrupted general assistance payments.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by changing the effective date to July 1, 2050, to promote further discussion of this measure.

     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. 2936, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2936, S.D. 2.

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

____________________________

DAVID Y. IGE, Chair