HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0263.000 1996-1998 Carl Foytik
POBox 10821
Hilo, HI 96721
961-9921, ask-for:
"room 5, upstairs"
April 18, 1997 O ~ ~
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John Ray ~ c.
Chair, Human Services Committee
Hawaii County Council C, :=s
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Mr. Ray and Councilmembers: v_
I spoke to your Human Services Committee three weeks ago
about the importance to Hawaii County of the State's Senate Bill
252, which would extend the duration of benefits for disabled
persons on general assistance, noting that 24°s of the State's
general assistance recipients are here on the Big Island.
I believe that several of you did contact House Finance
Committee members Chang and Hamakawa. Mahalo! When I went over
to the Capitol to lobby for the bill and dropped in on Jerry
Chang to tell him of the importance to his district of S.B. 252
he assured me that he already knew that.
The Finance Committee attentively heard over two hours of
testimony in favor this bill, then voted unanimously to recommend
it (with amendments). I expect the Senate simply to agree to the
House version of the bill.
So the only remaining problem is the appropriation bill.
Ways and Means attacked the Human Services budget with meat-
cleavers cutting it by 11°s, including a $16 million cut to the
$27 million general assistance appropriation. Ways and Means was
expressing vexation with the usual inflated budget request of the
Department of Human Services.
For example, the DHS request projects that the caseload for
family assistance will continue to grow for the next two years,
when it has, in fact, been declining since December 1995. Last
year DHS had $12.5 million unexpended from their AFDC account and
this year they will have $10 million unexpended as the result of
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2'.et. ]Tate 'AYR 2 1 1997