STAND. COM. REP. NO.  811-18

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2018

RE:   H.B. No. 2204

      H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2018

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Finance, to which was referred H.B. No. 2204, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HUMAN SERVICES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to:

(1)  Require the Department of Human Services to establish a task force to develop a restructured welfare payment system to incentivize recipients to pursue increasingly remunerative work; and

(2)  Re-establish the exit and retention bonus program, which encourages welfare recipients to transition back into the workforce.  

Catholic Charities Hawai‘i, Hawaii Appleseed Center for Law and Economic Justice, Mental Health America of Hawai‘i, Oahu County Committee on Legislative Priorities of the Democratic Party of Hawaii, and a few individuals supported this measure.  The Department of Human Services offered comments for this measure.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Finance that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2204, H.D. 1, and recommends that it pass Third Reading.

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

____________________________

SYLVIA LUKE, Chair