STAND. COM. REP. NO. 822

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 933

S.D. 2

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2025

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 933, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE STATE BUDGET,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to provide one-time nonrecurring grants to organizations that provide critical services, in accordance with chapter 42F, Hawaii Revised Statutes.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaii State Energy Office, Hawaii Primary Care Association, The Legal Clinic, Hawaii Youth Services Network, Hawaii Alliance of Nonprofit Organizations (HANO), Catholic Charities Hawaii, Parents and Children Together, Hawaii Community Foundation, Hawaii True Cost Coalition, and three individuals.

Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Kingdom of the Hawaiian Islands and one individual.

Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Judiciary and one individual.

Your Committee recognizes the potentially detrimental effects that the federal funding freeze imposed by the United States Office of Management and Budget may have on Hawaii's nonprofit sector, which provides critical services for health and human services. Your Committee believes that this measure is an appropriate mechanism to ensure adequate funding for Hawaii's federally qualified health centers and other programs that provide child care, social services, subsidized housing, and homeless services.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Inserting new parts into the measure to appropriate moneys to the Judiciary to provide grants for the purposes of this Act;

(2) Imposing certain requirements on recipient organizations, including a requirement that each organization receiving grant moneys submit a report to the Legislature no later than twenty days before the convening of the Regular Session of 2026; and

(3) Changing the effective date to July 1, 2050, to facilitate further discussion on the measure.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 933, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 933, S.D. 2, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

________________________________

DONOVAN M. DELA CRUZ, Chair