STAND. COM. REP. 2396

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2004

RE: S.B. No. 2265

S.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2004

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Human Services, to which was referred S.B. No. 2265 entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to increase the personal needs allowance from $20 to $30 plus additional changes yearly based on COLA increase or decreases.

Testimony in favor of this measure was submitted by the Hawaii Disability Rights Center and eleven care home residents from Kauai. The Department of Human Services submitted comments.

Your Committee finds that many residents subsist on their Federal Supplemental Security Income and are literally on the edge and have no additional money for the basic expenses of life. Currently, Adult Residential Care Homes receive $521 to $630 monthly per resident from the State. However, these amounts do not specifically provide for their personal needs. Establishing a personal needs allowance will assist qualified residents in paying for basic living expenses.

Accordingly, your Committee has amended this bill by:

(1) Deleting the purpose section;

(2) Clarifying that this measure establishes a personal needs allowance; and

(3) Clarifying that the appropriated amount will be taken from the general fund.

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 S.B. No. 2265, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2265, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

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

____________________________

SUZANNE CHUN OAKLAND, Chair