STAND. COM. REP. NO. 902

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.C.R. No. 6

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.C.R. No. 6 entitled:

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION URGING THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES TO INCREASE THE ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR RECEIVING CHILD CARE SUBSIDIES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to urge the Department of Human Services to adjust the under the Child Care Connection Hawaii program to a maximum of ten percent of family income spending on child care and create a three-level sliding scale for copayments based on the amount of the families' income.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the O‘ahu County Committee on Legislative Priorities of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Human Services.

Your Committee finds that many families in Hawaii are forced to choose between a paycheck and child care. Your Committee further finds that the Department of Human Services allows for child care cost reimbursement under the Child Care Connection Hawaii program. However, Hawaii has among the highest average costs of child care and the current child care copayment ratio in Hawaii is the worst in the nation, at up to nineteen percent of the family income spending on child care. Your Committee finds that increasing the eligibility criteria for receiving child care subsidies would allow parents to secure stable employment and improve their families' financial wellbeing.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Human Services that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 6 and recommends that it be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

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

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RUSSELL E. RUDERMAN, Chair