STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1223

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    S.C.R. No. 79

       S.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2015

State of Hawaii

 

Madam:

 

     Your Committee on Judiciary and Labor, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 79 entitled:

 

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF ATTORNEY GENERAL TO CONVENE A TASK FORCE TO INVESTIGATE AND COORDINATE THE PROVISION OF MEDICAL, EDUCATIONAL, HOUSING, AND SOCIAL SERVICES TO MIGRANTS FROM FREELY ASSOCIATED STATES,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

 

     (1)  Request the Department of the Attorney General to establish a task force to:

 

          (A)  Consult with the Department of the Interior's Office of Insular Affairs in Hawaii regarding federal funds and services available to assist Freely Associated States citizens in Hawaii;

 

          (B)  Consult with the United States Census Bureau on obtaining information regarding future national or regional censuses on the number of Freely Associated States citizens in Hawaii; and

 

          (C)  Investigate and coordinate the provision of medical, educational, housing, and social services to migrants from the Freely Associated States; and

 

     (2)  Request the task force to submit a report to the Legislature prior to the Regular Session of 2016 on any actions taken, information gathered, and recommendations made by the task force.

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from three individuals.  Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of the Attorney General and Department of Human Services.

 

     Your Committee finds that under the Compact of Free Association, Freely Associated States citizens can migrate in and out of Hawaii without visas or other immigration requirements.  As a result of this migration, it is reported that the education, health, public safety, and social services costs of migrants from the Freely Associated States to Hawaii alone was $628,752,280 between 2004 and 2010, with education and health care costs accounting for the largest shares.  However, there is no centralized plan for the provision of services to this migrant population.  This measure will help to coordinate the provision of medical, educational, housing, and social services to citizens from the Freely Associated States.

 

     Your Committee notes the concerns raised by the Department of the Attorney General that this measure duplicates the efforts of a similar task force that was previously convened by the Department in 2007 for the same purpose.  The Compacts of Free Association Task Force submitted a report with recommendations to the Legislature of the Regular Session of 2009 that addressed the issues raised by this measure.  As a result, the Department of the Attorney General suggested that in the alternative the scope of this measure be narrowed to focus on one or two of the recommendations of the 2007 task force with the goal of developing a plan for implementing those recommendations.  Your Committee further notes that the Department of the Attorney General suggested the recommendations made by the previous task force relating to a cultural center that provides a standardized service delivery process and the development of an acculturation program, including the distribution of an acculturation booklet regarding available resources.

 

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Adopting the suggestion made by the Department of the Attorney General that changes the scope of this measure from requesting the Department of the Attorney to convene a task force to requesting the Department of the Attorney General and Department of Human Services to conduct a study on the status of the implementation of the recommendations made in the Final Report of the Compacts of Free Association Task Force Pursuant to Senate Resolution No. 142, S.D. 1, Regular Session of 2007;

 

     (2)  Requesting that the Department of the Attorney General and Department of Human Services:

 

          (A)  Provide an update of the Final Report of the Compacts of Free Association Task Force and status of the State's implementation of the recommendations relating to funding, census, and services;

 

          (B)  Provide further details on certain recommendations relating to services;

 

          (C)  Identify any gaps in providing medical, education, housing, and social services to Freely Associated States citizens; and

 

          (D)  Submit a report to the Legislature prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2016, of their findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation;

 

     (3)  Making conforming amendments, including amendments to its title, to properly reflect the change in scope; and

 

     (4)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary and Labor that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 79, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, in the form attached hereto as S.C.R. No. 79, S.D. 1.

 


Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Judiciary and Labor,

 

 

 

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GILBERT S.C. KEITH-AGARAN, Chair