CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REPORT NO. 43

                            Honolulu, Hawaii
                                            , 2000

                            RE:   H.B. No. 540
                                  H.D. 2
                                  S.D. 1
                                  C.D. 1




Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say
Speaker, House of Representatives
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 2000
State of Hawaii

Honorable Norman Mizuguchi
President of the Senate
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 2000
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Conference on the disagreeing vote of the
House of Representatives to the amendments proposed by the Senate
in H.B. No. 540, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, entitled:

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

having met, and after full and free discussion, has agreed to
recommend and does recommend to the respective Houses the final
passage of this bill in an amended form.

     The purpose of this bill is to:

     (1) Provide state-funded medical assistance to:

         (A) Permanent legal immigrant residents who arrived in
             the United States after August 22, 1996;

         (B) Persons who are permanently residing in the United
             States under color of law; and

         (C) Persons from countries of the Compact of Free
             Association,

 
 
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         who are otherwise eligible for benefits under the
         State's Medicaid program, but are ineligible due to
         restricted eligibility rules imposed by Title XXI of the
         Social Security Act or the Personal Responsibility and
         Work Responsibility Act of 1996;

     (2) Transfer an unspecified percent of tobacco settlement
         moneys from the Department of Health (DOH) to the
         Department of Human Services (DHS) for the State's
         Children's Health Insurance Program (S-CHIP);

     (3) Appropriate out of the general fund an unspecified
         amount to provide state-funded medical assistance to
         legal immigrants; and

     (4) Appropriate out of the Hawaii Tobacco Settlement Special
         Fund an unspecified amount to fund S-CHIP, up to three
         hundred percent of the federal poverty level for Hawaii.

     Your Committee on Conference has amended this measure by:

     (1) Deleting the transfer of an unspecified percent of
         tobacco settlement moneys from DOH to DHS for S-CHIP;

     (2) Deleting the appropriation sections to:

         (A) Provide state-funded medical assistance to legal
             immigrants; and

         (B) Fund S-CHIP up to three hundred percent of the
             federal poverty level for Hawaii;

     (3) Amending the scope of providing medical assistance from
         all legal immigrants to providing medical assistance, of
         up to two hundred percent of the federal poverty level
         for Hawaii, to persons less than nineteen years old who
         are:

         (A) Legal permanent residents who arrived after August
             22, 1996;

         (B) Persons who are permanently residing under color of
             law; and

         (C) Nonimmigrants from the Trust Territories of the
             Pacific Islands who are citizens of:

           (i)  The Marshall Islands;


 
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          (ii)  The Federal States of Micronesia; or

         (iii)  Palau,

         who are otherwise eligible for benefits under the
         Medicaid program, but who are ineligible due to
         restricted eligibility rules imposed by Title XXI of the
         Social Security Act, the Personal Responsibility and
         Work Reconciliation Act of 1996, the Compact of Free
         Association Act of 1985, the Compact of Free Association
         between the United States and the Government of Palau,
         or any other provision of federal law denying medical
         assistance to nonimmigrants who are citizens of the
         Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, or
         Palau;

     (4) Changing the effective date to July 1, 2000; and

     (5) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for purposes
         of clarity and style.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the managers of your
Committee on Conference that is attached to this report, your
Committee on Conference is in accord with the intent and purpose
of H.B. No. 540, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and
recommends that it pass Final Reading in the form attached hereto
as H.B. No. 540, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, C.D. 1.

                                   Respectfully submitted on
                                   behalf of the managers:        

ON THE PART OF THE SENATE          ON THE PART OF THE HOUSE



_______________________________    _______________________________
SUZANNE CHUN OAKLAND, Co-Chair     DENNIS A. ARAKAKI, Co-Chair



_______________________________    _______________________________
CAROL FUKUNAGA, Co-Chair           MICHAEL PUAMAMO KAHIKINA, Co-
                                   Chair



_______________________________    
ANDREW LEVIN, Co-Chair