STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1389

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2021

RE: S.B. No. 1127

S.D. 1

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2021

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Health, Human Services, & Homelessness, to which was referred S.B. No. 1127, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT MAKING AN EMERGENCY APPROPRIATION FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to make an emergency appropriation to the Department of Human Services to fund general assistance payments in the current fiscal year.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Governor's Coordinator on Homelessness, Department of Human Services, Hawaii Primary Care Association, Catholic Charities Hawai‘i, Neighborhood Place of Puna, and HOPE Services Hawaii.

Your Committee finds that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of individuals receiving general assistance benefits increased by more than thirty-one percent from February to October 2020. The Department of Human Services' General Assistance Program is one hundred percent state funded. There are currently no federal funds available to support this program. Your Committee further finds that without an emergency appropriation, the Department of Human Services will expend all appropriated funds for the General Assistance Program before the end of the current fiscal year and will be unable to maintain the current monthly general assistance allowance.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Changing the effective date to July 1, 2060, to encourage further discussion; and

(2) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health, Human Services, & Homelessness that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1127, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1127, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Health, Human Services, & Homelessness,

____________________________

RYAN I. YAMANE, Chair