STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1217

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    H.B. No. 1417

       H.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2019

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Human Services, to which was referred H.B. No. 1417, H.D. 1, entitled:

 

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

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to require the Department of Human Services to use an integrated and multigenerational approach to delivering human services to reduce the incidence of intergenerational poverty and dependence on public benefits.

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Human Services, Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Hawaii Primary Care Association, Parents and Children Together, and two individuals.

 

     Your Committee finds that the Department of Human Services provides benefits and services to one in four Hawaii residents or nearly three hundred sixty thousand individuals, including benefits and services relating to homelessness, education, employment, health care, child care, food security, protective services, and vocational rehabilitation.  Your Committee further finds that the Department of Human Services is part of a national movement to improve the delivery of human services and is adopting a service integration and multigenerational approach that is intended to improve the well-being of individuals, families, and the community; reduce dependence on public benefits; reduce the human and fiscal costs of poverty; and reduce intergenerational poverty.  This measure requires the Department of Human Services to use an integrated multigenerational service delivery approach, which will refocus the Department of Human Services' efforts to provide available resources and support to reduce the time a child and family spends in poverty, stabilize the child's basic needs and environment to enhance the ability to learn, improve all recipients' economic security, and ultimately reduce intergenerational poverty in Hawaii.

 

     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 H.B. No. 1417, H.D. 1, and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

 

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

 

 

 

________________________________

RUSSELL E. RUDERMAN, Chair