STAND. COM. REP. NO. 675

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 1227

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2019

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Human Services, to which was referred S.B. No. 1227 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO POVERTY,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to require the Department of Human Services to use an integrated and multigenerational approach to delivering human services to reduce the incidence of intergenerational poverty and dependence on public benefits.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Human Services; Habitat for Humanity Hawaii Island, Inc.; Hawaii Island HIV/AIDS Foundation; Parents and Children Together; and two individuals.

Your Committee finds that the Department of Human Services provides benefits and services to one in four Hawaii residents or nearly 360,000 individuals, including benefits and services relating to homelessness, education, employment, health care, child care, food security, protective services, and vocational rehabilitation. Your Committee further finds that the Department of Human Services is part of a national movement to improve the delivery of human services and is adopting a service integration and multigenerational approach with the intent on reducing intergenerational poverty in the State. This measure requires the Department of Human Services to use an integrated multigenerational service delivery approach, which will refocus the Department of Human Services' efforts to provide available resources and support to reduce the time a child and family spends in poverty, stabilize the child's basic needs and environment to enhance their ability to learn, improve all recipients' economic security, and ultimately reduce intergenerational poverty in Hawaii.

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. 1227 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

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

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RUSSELL E. RUDERMAN, Chair