STAND.
COM. REP. NO. 523
Honolulu, Hawaii
, 2025
RE: H.B. No. 244
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. 244 entitled:
"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES,"
begs leave to report as follows:
Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawai‘i Youth Services Network; Hawaii Substance Abuse Coalition; Share Your Mana; Community Alliance on Prisons; Hina Mauka; Hawai‘i Children's Action Network Speaks!; Hawai‘i True Cost Coalition; Aloha United Way; Catholic Charities Hawai‘i; Child & Family Service; Epic ‘Ohana; Goodwill Hawaii; Hawai‘i Health & Harm Reduction Center; The Institute for Human Services, Inc.; Lanakila Pacific; The Meditation Center of the Pacific, Inc.; Maui Economic Opportunity, Inc.; Partners in Development Foundation; Responsive Caregivers of Hawaii; Samaritan Counseling Center Hawaii; YMCA of Honolulu; Parents And Children Together; YWCA Kaua‘i; Adult Friends for Youth; AlohaCare; Hawai‘i Foodbank; Hawai‘i State Coalition Against Domestic Violence; and two individuals. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Human Services and one individual.
Your Committee finds that vulnerable
populations in Hawaii, including individuals experiencing homelessness,
children, and those in need of mental health or social services, face
increasing challenges due to rising service demands and stagnant government
contract funding. Community-based
organizations play a critical role in delivering these essential services, yet
many struggle with inadequate funding that fails to cover full program costs. Without increased support from the State,
these organizations may be forced to reduce services or cease operations. This measure provides increased funding to the
Department of Human Services to strengthen partnerships with community-based
organizations, ensuring continued access to vital programs that support the
well-being and stability of Hawaii's most vulnerable residents.
Your Committee has amended this measure by:
(1) Inserting language to ensure equitable distribution of allocated funds to the various divisions within the Department of Human Services with contracted community-based organizations;
(2) Changing the effective date to July 1, 3000, to encourage further discussion; and
(3) Making a technical, nonsubstantive amendment for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.
Your Committee respectfully
requests your Committee on Finance, should it deliberate on this measure, to
consider an appropriation amount of $21,294,990 for child protective services
(HMS 301); $205,985 for adult protective and community care services (HMS 601);
$1,513,789 for vocational rehabilitation (HMS 802); $3,034,623 for homeless
services (HMS 224); $1,023,620 for general support for child care (HMS 302);
$10,652,886 for general support for self-sufficiency (HMS 903); $1,358,859 for
general support for health care payments (HMS 902); and $2,317,212 for
in-community youth programs (HMS 501).
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. 244, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 244, 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,
|
|
|
____________________________ LISA MARTEN, Chair |
|
|
|
|