STAND. COM. REP. NO. 4

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    S.B. No. 1666

       S.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2009

State of Hawaii

 

Madam:

 

     Your Committee on Human Services, to which was referred S.B. No. 1666 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO TEMPORARY ASSISTANCE TO NEEDY FAMILIES,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this measure is to continue supporting important social service programs with temporary assistance for needy families funds while concurrently maintaining an adequate reserve of funds for the future provision of monthly cash benefits.

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Human Services, the Department of Defense, Hawaii County Economic Opportunity Council, Child & Family Service, Catholic Charities Hawaii, Hale Kipa Inc., Good Beginnings Alliance, National Association of Social Workers Hawaii, Hawaii Youth Services Network, Mutual Assistance Associations Center, Adult Friends for Youth, Seagull Schools, Sounding Joy Music Therapy, Inc., Hawaii State Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Blueprint for Change, Halau Lokahi, Ka Paalana Traveling Preschool and Homeless Outreach, and three individuals.

 

     The Department of Human Services recommended that the measure include specific appropriation amounts, enumerate and expand the programs to be subsidized by temporary assistance for needy families funds, make appropriations for information systems and administration costs, and transfer portions of temporary assistance for needy families funds to block grant programs to give the State more flexibility in spending the funds.

         

     During times of economic crisis, it is more important than ever that temporary assistance for needy families programs be kept intact to support individuals and families who become eligible for and require assistance from the program.  Investing in programs that provide for direct payments, employment and training, prevention of teenage pregnancy, welfare services, and childcare support is especially critical given the current financial climate.  Utilizing temporary assistance for needy families funds is essential to meet the basic needs of struggling families, and supports programs that effectively assist them in attaining self-sufficiency.    

 

     Your Committee intends this measure to direct valuable temporary assistance for needy families funding to meet the demand for direct cash benefits and necessary social service programs while maintaining an adequate level of cash reserves to ensure the continued provision of cash benefits into the future. 

 

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Providing specific amounts to be appropriated from temporary assistance for needy families program funds for various programs;

 

     (2)  Clarifying the scope of the programs enumerated in the measure that should receive temporary assistance for needy families funding by:

 

          (A)  More narrowly defining the programs under the existing measure to include services relating to care for children in their own homes or in the homes of relatives, work program contracts and support services for program recipients, prevention and reduction of out-of-wedlock pregnancies and encouragement of two-parent families, and purchase of service contracts for child protective services;

 

          (B)  Adding appropriations for costs of program implementation, including costs for information systems and program administration; and

 

          (C)  Transferring funds to the child care development fund and the social services block grant to provide for greater flexibility in spending federal funds; and      

    

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

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Human Services that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1666, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1666, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Human Services,

 

 

 

____________________________

SUZANNE CHUN OAKLAND, Chair