STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3254

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    H.B. No. 1737

       H.D. 1

       S.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2014

State of Hawaii

 

Madam:

 

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred H.B. No. 1737, H.D. 1, entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT MAKING AN APPROPRIATION FOR THE OFFICE OF COMMUNITY SERVICES,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to charge the Office of Community Services with the responsibility to review the State's grant-in-aid process and provide resources for the office to expand state-funded immigrant resource centers.

 

     Specifically, the measure:

 

     (1)  Requires the Office of Community Services to review all grant-in-aid requests submitted to and granted by the Twenty-sixth Legislature; and

 

     (2)  Makes an appropriation to support the expansion of the state-funded immigrant resource centers, contracted by the Office of Community Services with nonprofit service providers, to provide language-accessible direct information and referral services to new immigrants.

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Office of Community Services of the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, Hawaii Educational Policy Center, Catholic Charities Hawaii, Susannah Wesley Community Center, Child and Family Service, and one individual.  The Department of Budget and Finance submitted written comments on the measure.

 

     Your Committee finds that conducting a review of grant requests submitted to and granted by the Legislature will provide useful information to assist with the process of awarding grants and to improve the process where necessary.  Your Committee further finds that there is a need to expand state-funded immigrant resource centers to provide important information and services to persons in their primary language.

 

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Adding an appropriation of an unspecified sum for the Office of Community Services to review grant requests and awards and report on its findings, as required by the measure, and making conforming amendments to the purpose section;

 

     (2)  Changing references to "grants-in-aid" in section 2 of the measure to "grants" and clarifying the measure's intent to have the Office of Community Services focus its review on grants issued under chapter 42F, Hawaii Revised Statutes; and

 

     (3)  Changing the effective date to July 1, 2050, to facilitate further discussion on the measure.

 

     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. 1737, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1737, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

 

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

 

 

 

____________________________

DAVID Y. IGE, Chair