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THE SENATE |
S.B. NO. |
58 |
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THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2025 |
S.D. 1 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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A BILL FOR AN ACT
RELATING TO PUBLIC ASSISTANCE.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:
"§346- General
assistance to households upon the governor's declaration of a state of
emergency. (a) Upon issuance of a proclamation by the
governor declaring a state of emergency in the State under section 127A-14, the
department may administer and provide public assistance during the emergency
period to persons who are not otherwise provided for under this chapter and who
are unable to provide sufficient support for themselves or those dependent upon
them; provided that the persons:
(1) Are bona fide residents of this
State, as determined by the residency criteria established in section 346‑71(a);
(2) Have furnished to the department for
each member of the persons' assistance unit a social security account number or
verification that an application was made with the Social Security
Administration for a social security account number for each member of the
assistance unit; and
(3) Satisfy the income criteria adopted
by the department and other conditions set forth in this section.
(b) A person between eighteen and sixty-five
years of age shall be eligible for general assistance under this section if the
person is:
(1) Determined to be needy in
accordance with standards established by this chapter and the rules adopted under
subsection (f);
(2) Unable to meet the income and
financial resources eligibility criteria for the federal supplemental security
income program or the program's successor; and
(3) Unable to engage in any substantial
gainful activity because of the governor-declared state of emergency.
(c) The allowance for general assistance under
this section shall not exceed the monthly federal supplemental security income
benefit payment for the State.
(d)
Applicants and recipients shall satisfy all applicable provisions of
this section. Recipients disqualified
for failure to comply with any of the requirements under this section shall be
excluded from general assistance under this section for a period not to exceed
twelve months.
(e) Failure of any adult member of the assistance
unit to comply with the requirements or conditions of general assistance under
this section shall disqualify the entire assistance unit from receiving
financial assistance under this section; provided that the assistance unit
shall not be disqualified if the adult member is disqualified for
failing to meet the work requirement and the assistance unit was formed
after the failure had occurred.
(f) Within the limitations of this section, the
department shall, by rules adopted pursuant to chapter 91, determine:
(1) The allowance for general assistance
under this section based on the total amount available from the Hawaii
hurricane relief fund pursuant to section 431P- and applicable
federal funds;
(2) A method for determining assistance
amounts; and
(3) Other necessary provisions to
implement, administer, and provide general assistance under this section.
(g) For the purposes of this section:
"Assistance
unit" means a person or group of persons whose needs and income are
considered in determining the payment of financial assistance under this
section. "Assistance unit"
includes the person or persons' dependents.
"Substantial gainful activity" means work for which the person earns at minimum the amount set forth in the Social Security Administration's Substantial Gainful Activity Earnings Guidelines."
SECTION 2. Chapter 431P, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new section to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:
"§431P- Public assistance during a governor-declared state of emergency. Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, the department of human services may expend up to from the fund to provide public assistance to eligible residents during a governor-declared state of emergency pursuant to section 346- ; provided that any funds expended for the purposes of this section from the fund shall be reimbursed with any federal funds as appropriate or a general fund appropriation in the regular session immediately succeeding the expenditure."
SECTION 3. New statutory material is underscored.
SECTION 4. This Act shall take effect on December 31, 2050.
Report Title:
DHS; General Assistance; State of Emergency; Emergency Supplementary Income; Eligibility; Hawaii Hurricane Relief Fund
Description:
Allows the Department of Human Services to administer and provide public assistance to eligible residents of the State during a Governor-declared state of emergency. Allows the Department of Human Services to expend funds from the Hawaii Hurricane Relief Fund to provide public assistance to eligible residents during a Governor-declared state of emergency. Effective 12/31/2050. (SD1)
The summary description
of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is
not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.