STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1297

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    H.B. No. 1064

       H.D. 1

       S.D. 2

 

 

 

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2009

State of Hawaii

 

Madam:

 

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred H.B. No. 1064, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT MAKING AN EMERGENCY APPROPRIATION FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES TO ADDRESS THE BUDGET SHORTFALL,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this measure is to make an emergency appropriation for the Department of Human Services, the Adult Mental Health Division of the Department of Health, and the Hawaii Health Systems Corporation to address the budget shortfall.

 

     More specifically, this measure:

 

     (1)  Makes an emergency appropriation of an unspecified amount to the Department of Human Services for the purpose of meeting the general fund shortfall to be used for general assistance payments for the months of April, May, and June of 2009;

 

     (2)  Makes an emergency appropriation of an unspecified amount to the Department of Health, Adult Mental Health Division to be expended by the Department of Human Services to be used to continue the provision of services to certain adults with severe mental illness; and

 

     (3)  Makes an emergency appropriation of $34,600,000 to the Hawaii Health Systems Corporation to ensure that it can pay for its operations and continue to provide the current level of services.

 

     Your Committee received two written comments on this measure. The written comments may be reviewed on the Legislature's website.

 

     Your Committee finds that an emergency appropriation to the Department of Human Services is necessary to ensure that recipients of general assistance payments will not experience a decrease in benefits, which could put the recipients at risk of becoming homeless. However, your Committee also finds that it is necessary to amend this measure to delete the appropriations to the Department of Health, Adult Mental Health Division and the Hawaii Health Systems Corporation, because they appear to exceed the scope of the title of the bill.

 

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Specifying the amount of $1 as the emergency appropriation to the Department of Human Services for the purpose of meeting the general fund shortfall;

 

     (2)  Deleting the appropriation for the Department of Health, Adult Mental Health Division to be expended by the Department of Human Services;

 

     (3)  Deleting the appropriation to the Hawaii Health Systems Corporation;

 

     (4)  Changing the effective date to July 1, 2077 to promote continuing discussion on the matter; and

 

     (5)  Making technical amendments for purposes of clarity.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1064, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1064, H.D. 1, S.D. 2.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

 

 

 

____________________________

DONNA MERCADO KIM, Chair