STAND. COM. REP. NO.  134

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2009

 

RE:   H.B. No. 1435

      H.D. 1

 

 

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2009

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Human Services, to which was referred H.B. No. 1435 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE HAWAII STATE GIVING CAMPAIGN,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this bill is to:

 

     (1)  Establish the Hawaii State Giving Campaign (Campaign) as the only authorized solicitation of employees in the state;

 

     (2)  Delineate the coordination, procedures, and protocols for developing and implementing the Campaign; and

 

     (3)  Appropriate funds for the Campaign's development and implementation.

 

     The Native Hawaiian Hospitality Association, Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs, and several concerned individuals testified in support of this bill.  The Department of Human Resources Development and Hawaii Food Bank testified in opposition to this measure.

 

     The Hawaii Food Bank serves approximately 130,000 different individuals every year, distributing nearly nine million pounds of food through 250 charitable agencies, including those conducting feeding programs for children and the elderly, homeless and abuse shelters, rehabilitation centers and soup kitchens.

 

     The Hawaii Food Bank raised concerns in their testimony that should this measure pass, they stand to lose $150,000 and 90,000 pounds of food annually.  They further specified that State employees continue to be the largest and most enthusiastic coalition of contributors with contributions comprising approximately 20 percent of their annual food drive goal.  In addition, the food collected from State departments during the food drive represents the best quality the Hawaii Food Bank has in their warehouse.

 

   Your Committee acknowledges and honors the indispensible role that state-wide charitable food distributors play in ensuring that the state's most vulnerable populations are provided with healthy, nourishing meals during times of economic difficulty and social and emotional stress.

 

     Accordingly, your Committee has amended this bill by:

 

     (1)  Exempting state-wide charitable food distributors from the provisions set forth in the proposed chapter;

 

     (2)  Changing the effective date to January 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion; and

 

     (3)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for clarity, consistency, 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 H.B. No. 1435, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1435, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Labor & Public Employment.

 

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

 

 

____________________________ JOHN M. MIZUNO, Chair