STAND.
COM. REP. NO. 64
Honolulu, Hawaii
, 2023
RE: H.B. No. 445
H.D. 1
Honorable Scott K. Saiki
Speaker, House of Representatives
Thirty-Second State Legislature
Regular Session of 2023
State of Hawaii
Sir:
Your Committee on Human Services, to which was referred H.B. No. 445 entitled:
"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO CHILD SUPPORT,"
begs leave to report as follows:
The
purpose of this measure is to require
the Department of the Attorney General and Department of Human Services to
convene a joint study group to examine the impacts, costs, and impediments of
allowing child support payments to pass through to recipients of Temporary
Assistance for Needy Families program funds.
Your Committee finds that the Child
Support Enforcement Agency collects child support payments from absent or
non-custodial parents of children receiving financial assistance from the Department
of Human Services in the form of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families or
Temporary Assistance for Other Needy Families benefits. The Child Support Enforcement Agency then
reimburses the Department of Human Services and the federal government for
financial assistance benefits paid to these custodial parents, rather than
allowing these child support payments to go directly to the family. Your Committee notes that the Child Support
Enforcement Agency would need additional time to implement a pass through of
payment as it would require a reprogramming of the financial component of their
case management system, and approval from the federal Office of Child Support
Enforcement.
Your
Committee has amended this measure by:
(1) Requiring the joint report to be submitted to
the Legislature before the convening of the Regular Session of 2025, rather
than the Regular Session of 2024;
(2) Changing the effective date to June 30, 3000,
to encourage further discussion; and
(3) 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 Human Services that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 445, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 445, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Human Services,
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____________________________ JOHN M. MIZUNO, Chair |
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