STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2523

                                   Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                     , 2000

                                   RE:  S.B. No. 2856
                                        S.D. 1




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

Sir:

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B.
No. 2856, S.D. 1, entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PUBLIC ASSISTANCE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to require the Department of
Human Services to record in the Bureau of Conveyances agreements
or liens with public assistance recipients.

     Your Committee finds that this bill clarifies the law with
respect to the requirement that the Department of Human Services
annually update the actual amount of the medical assistance liens
recorded in the Bureau of Conveyances.  The bill clarifies that
the update is an internal departmental accounting measure
intended to track the expenditures by the Department and not
burden the Bureau of Conveyances by essentially recording the
same lien against the same property year after year.

     In addition, your Committee finds that the Department is
currently required under current law to require that any person
applying for or receiving assistance under the Department's
programs enter into an agreement with the Department to repay the
amount of assistance benefits if the person owns real property
which is not the person's primary residence.  This bill requires
that either the agreement or a lien to the same effect must be

 
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                                   STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2523
                                   Page 2


filed in the Bureau of Conveyances to protect the State's
interest.

     Your Committee agrees with the intent of this bill, which
also requires the Department to include in its annual report to
the legislature a list of agreements and their values held by the
Department on real property.

     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 S.B. No.
2856, S.D. 1, and recommends that it pass Third Reading.

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



                                 ________________________________
                                 CAROL FUKUNAGA, Co-Chair



                                 ________________________________
                                 ANDREW LEVIN, Co-Chair

 
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