Report Title:

University of Hawaii; Center on the Family; Appropriation

 

Description:

Appropriates funds to the Center on the Family at the University of Hawaii.  (HB428 HD2)

 


HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

428

TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2007

H.D. 2

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

 

RELATING TO THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII.

 

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

 


     SECTION 1.  There are serious problems in Hawaii that compromise the well-being of its people.  For example, an average of eleven infants under the age of one die each month due to accidents, neglect, maltreatment, or other causes.  At the other end of the life continuum, between 2000 and 2030, the number of individuals who are sixty years and older will increase by ninety-four per cent, and the number of those eighty-five years and older will grow by one hundred seventy-five per cent.  Our state is not prepared for the significant number of elders who will require supportive services.  To exacerbate the situation, Hawaii has too many individuals and families who are struggling financially due to the wide gap between their incomes and basic living expenses.  There are also a considerable number of people living unsheltered, and approximately one-third of those receiving homeless services are children.

     The University of Hawaii center on the family’s data, information, and training raise the educational capital of the state and improve its capacity to meet the challenges of these and other problems.  The center monitors key indicators relating to children, families, and the elderly in Hawaii to assess their well-being over time, identify problem areas, and track the effect of policies and programs.  It provides the most comprehensive collection of data and information on children, families, older adults, and communities through its web-based data center.  The data center has received a national award of excellence and distinguishes Hawaii as the only state in the nation with a website containing data and publications focused on the aging population locally.  The center’s educational materials have been widely used in classrooms and the community to raise awareness and increase knowledge in various areas, including:

     (1)  Child development and care;

     (2)  The building of strong families;

     (3)  Drug use among youth;

     (4)  Demographics of older adults; and

     (5)  Hawaii’s vulnerable populations, such as the homeless and abused.

Some of the center's materials have been first reports on important subjects, for which valid and reliable data had not previously been available (e.g., the report on homeless individuals and families receiving services in Hawaii, community profiles on forty-three school complex areas, and the economic self-sufficiency report that was done in partnership with the Aloha United Way).  In addition, the center’s training and outreach improve the organizational capacity, leadership, and staff competence of many community groups.

     Because of its value to both governmental and community nonprofit agencies, it is important to sustain the efforts of the center on the family and enable the center to continue to contribute to the State’s educational capital.  Policymakers, program directors, service providers, and advocates need and benefit from the center’s work.  They use it to gain a better understanding of significant issues confronting Hawaii, improve decision-making, develop policies and proposals that secure millions of dollars for the state, prepare reports and program materials, and enhance services to the State’s poorest residents.  These activities, in turn, improve the quality of life for all the people of Hawaii.

     SECTION 2.  There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $1 or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2007-2008 for the center on the family at the University of Hawaii.

     The sum appropriated shall be expended by the University of Hawaii for the purposes of this Act.

     SECTION 3.  The University of Hawaii shall submit to the legislature, no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the regular session of 2008, a report of its actions taken pursuant to this Act.

     SECTION 4.  This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2020.