STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1372-26

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2026

RE: S.B. No. 3245

S.D. 1

H.D. 1

Honorable Nadine K. Nakamura

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2026

State of Hawaii

Madame:

Your Committee on Human Services & Homelessness, to which was referred S.B. No. 3245, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to require the Department of Human Services to:

(1) Set certain minimum certification periods for certain Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits households; and

(2) Participate in, and submit legislative reports regarding, the Elderly Simplified Application Project of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to simplify eligibility determinations for eligible households.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaiʻi State Council on Developmental Disabilities; Office of Climate Change, Sustainability and Resilience of the City and County of Honolulu; Hawaiʻi Appleseed Center for Law & Economic Justice; Faith Action for Community Equity; AARP Hawaiʻi; Agriculture Stewardship Hawaiʻi; Hawaiʻi Public Health Institute; Hawaiʻi Hunger Action Network; AlohaCare; and numerous individuals. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Human Services and Executive Office on Aging.

Your Committee finds that one in three households in Hawaii face food insecurity. Federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits are a lifeline to many of these residents. However, SNAP recipients in the State face frequent SNAP recertification requirements, with some needing to recertify every six months. Currently, SNAP recipients sixty years of age and over are required to recertify annually, even though federal regulations permit them to do so only once every three years. This measure simplifies the SNAP recertification process for all SNAP recipients, which will significantly reduce the paperwork burden on families and kupuna. These efforts will ensure more consistent access to essential food assistance for Hawaii residents, which will directly reduce hunger and support food security statewide.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Changing the effective date to July 1, 3000, to encourage further discussion, but preserving the July 1, 2028, implementation date; and

(2) Making a technical, nonsubstantive amendment for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Human Services & Homelessness that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 3245, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 3245, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

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

____________________________

LISA MARTEN, Chair