STAND. COM. REP. NO.  516

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2015

RE:   H.B. No. 119

      H.D. 2

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2015

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Health, to which was referred H.B. No. 119, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to encourage and assist individuals and families to save private funds to support individuals with a disability by:

(1)  Requiring the Director of Finance to establish the Hawaii ABLE Savings Program (Program) to provide for individual savings accounts to support an individual with a disability; and

(2)  Establishing the Hawaii ABLE Savings Program Trust Fund to support the Program.

The State Council on Developmental Disabilities, Autism Speaks, National Down Syndrome Society, Community Children's Councils, and Family Voices of Hawaii supported this measure.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by changing its effective date to July 1, 2050, to facilitate further discussion.  

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 119, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 119, H.D. 2, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Health,

____________________________

DELLA AU BELATTI, Chair