STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2009
Honolulu, Hawaii
RE: S.B. No. 2286
S.D. 1
Honorable Donna Mercado Kim
President of the Senate
Twenty-Seventh State Legislature
Regular Session of 2014
State of Hawaii
Madam:
Your Committee on Human Services, to which was referred S.B. No. 2286 entitled:
"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HOMELESSNESS,"
begs leave to report as follows:
The purpose and intent of this measure is to prohibit persons or agencies that provide services to homeless individuals from knowingly requesting or requiring, or aiding and abetting another person in requesting or requiring, the individuals to purchase goods or food stamps on their electronic benefits transfer card or through other public assistance programs in exchange for the services.
Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Community Alliance for Mental Health, Blueprint for Change, and one individual. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Human Services.
Your Committee finds that it would be beneficial to prohibit homeless service providers from requesting or requiring their clients to pay for benefits using their electronic benefits transfer card or through other means of public assistance in exchange for receiving services. However, your Committee notes that the prevalence of these practices in Hawaii is unclear and may require further review.
Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by inserting an effective date of July 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion.
As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Human Services that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2286, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2286, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Human Services,
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____________________________ SUZANNE CHUN OAKLAND, Chair |
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