STAND.
COM. REP. NO. 266
Honolulu, Hawaii
, 2025
RE: H.B. No. 1477
H.D. 1
Honorable Nadine K. Nakamura
Speaker, House of Representatives
Thirty-Third State Legislature
Regular Session of 2025
State of Hawaii
Madame:
Your Committee on Human Services & Homelessness, to which was referred H.B. No. 1477 entitled:
"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO SOCIAL SERVICES,"
begs leave to report as follows:
The purpose of this measure is to:
(1) Clarify
that the monthly needs allowance afforded to individuals living in certain
long-term care facilities is not intended to replace or affect funds received
as a state supplemental payment for domiciliary care and shall be supplemental
to any funds provided to a recipient as a state supplemental payment for
domiciliary care; and
(2) Appropriate funds for the Department of Human Services' Community-Based Residential Support Program.
Your Committee finds that the monthly needs
allowance for individuals in certain long-term care facilities and the state
supplemental payment to specified care providers were recently increased to
provide greater financial support. However,
due to the way the Social Security Administration administers these payments,
the $25 increase in the needs allowance is being deducted from the $132 state
supplemental payment increase, effectively negating part of the intended
financial relief, and which was not the intent of the Legislature. To correct this issue, this measure clarifies
that the needs allowance is intended to be supplemental and does not affect the
state supplemental payment for domiciliary care.
Your Committee has amended this measure by:
(1) Removing the specific statutory reference to the starting date for the increase in needs allowance and state supplemental payment;
(2) Deleting as unnecessary the appropriation for the Department of Human Services' Community-Based Residential Support Program;
(3) Changing the effective date to July 1, 3000, to encourage further discussion; and
(4) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.
Your Committee respectfully respects your Committee on Finance, should it deliberate on this measure, to consider an effective date of October 1, 2025, to give the Social Security Administration adequate time to implement the increase in needs allowance and state supplemental payment proposed by this measure.
As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Human Services & Homelessness that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1477, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1477, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Human Services & Homelessness,
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____________________________ LISA MARTEN, Chair |
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