STAND. COM. REP. NO. 39

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2001

RE: H.B. No. 292

H.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2001

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Human Services and Housing, to which was referred H.B. No. 292 entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to restore QUEST benefits to income-eligible legal immigrants and migrants during and three months after pregnancy with state-only funds.

The Hawaii State Primary Care Association, American Friends Service Committee, The Kokua Council and Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies Coalition of Hawaii submitted testimonies in support of this bill. The Department of Human Services supported the intent of the bill.

Your Committee finds that the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 restricted access to many public benefit programs for low-income immigrants in the U.S., and that this measure would restore QUEST eligibility for pregnant women who immigrated after 1996.

Your Committee has amended this bill by changing the amount of the appropriation to $1 to facilitate continued discussion.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Human Services and Housing that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 292, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 292, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

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

____________________________

MICHAEL P. KAHIKINA, Chair