STAND. COM. REP. NO.  71

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2015

RE:   H.B. No. 938

      H.D. 1

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2015

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Human Services, to which was referred H.B. No. 938 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT MAKING AN EMERGENCY APPROPRIATION FOR GENERAL ASSISTANCE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to provide an emergency appropriation of $2,514,822 to assist the General Assistance Program of the Department of Human Services in meeting budgetary shortfalls in order to maintain monthly maximum general assistance benefit payments for clients for the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2014-2015.

Pursuant to requirements set forth in Article VII, Section 9, of the Hawaii State Constitution, the Governor, in Governor's Message No. 166 to the Legislature, requested immediate consideration and passage of this measure by the Legislature.

The Department of Human Services and PHOCUSED supported this measure.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1)  Changing the amount appropriated for general assistance payments from $2,514,822 to an unspecified amount; and

(2) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for clarity, consistency, and style.

     Should the Committee on Finance deliberate this measure further, your Committee on Human Services requests that it consider appropriating $2,514,822 for the purposes of maintaining the General Assistance Program's maximum monthly benefits for general assistance clients.

     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 H.B. No. 938, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 938, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

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

____________________________

DEE MORIKAWA, Chair