STAND. COM. REP. NO. 566

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 479

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2025

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Health and Human Services, to which was referred S.B. No. 479 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE HAWAII ABLE SAVINGS PROGRAM,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Repeal language that gives the Director of Finance discretion to use moneys in the Hawaii ABLE Savings Program Trust Fund if the Director elects to accept deposits from contributors instead of sending deposits directly to the ABLE Program Manager;

(2) Authorize the Director of Finance to expend moneys in the Hawaii ABLE Savings Program Trust Fund to provide incentive payments to Hawaii public school ABLE account owners; and

(3) Appropriate funds.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Executive Office on Aging, Department of Budget and Finance, State Council on Developmental Disabilities, Hawaii Disability Rights Center, and one individual.

Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of the Attorney General.

Your Committee finds that the Hawaii ABLE Saving Program was established to enable individuals with disabilities and their families to save funds in a tax-exempt savings program. Your Committee further finds that approximately twenty-three thousand individuals with developmental disabilities in the State are eligible to open an ABLE Savings account and an additional estimated twenty thousand individuals with other disabilities are also eligible. This measure's proposed incentive payments encourage individuals with disabilities to participate in the Hawaii ABLE Savings Program.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Deleting all references to "Hawaii public school";

(2) Amending section 1 to reflect its amended purpose; and

(3) Inserting an effective date of December 31, 2050, to encourage further discussion.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health and Human Services that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 479, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 479, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Health and Human Services,

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JOY A. SAN BUENAVENTURA, Chair