Bill Text: HI HR89 | 2015 | Regular Session | Introduced

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Bill Title: Economic Opportunity Poverty Reduction Task Force

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 13-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2015-03-16 - Referred to EDB, HUS, FIN, referral sheet 33 [HR89 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2015-HR89-Introduced.html

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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.R. NO.	89
TWENTY-EIGHTH LEGISLATURE, 2015
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE RESOLUTION

 

 

Requesting the establishment of a task force to study and develop a plan to address economic opportunities and poverty reduction.

 

 

 

     WHEREAS, poverty has social and economic costs for children, families, communities, and the State; and

 

     WHEREAS, for example, children living in poverty often experience lower academic achievement and increased health and behavioral problems, the consequences of which often carry on into adulthood, resulting in greater social and economic costs to society from increased crime rates, health problems, and an estimated $500,000,000,000 nationally in lost earnings each year, among other things; and

 

     WHEREAS, with median 2012 household incomes no higher than they were 25 years ago, middle-class families in Hawaii are increasingly living from paycheck to paycheck; and

 

     WHEREAS, more states are recognizing that reducing poverty by addressing the needs of low- and moderate-income families is a critical economic development issue; and

 

     WHEREAS, reducing poverty requires strategic, integrated, and comprehensive approaches that create opportunities for families to achieve economic success, including creating quality jobs, providing work support, promoting greater collaboration with the private sector, and implementing targeted tax policies; and

 

     WHEREAS, it is in the public interest to improve access to economic and education opportunities to help families achieve self-sufficiency and financial security while reducing the number of Hawaii residents living in poverty; now, therefore,
     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-eighth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2015, that the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism is requested to establish a temporary Economic Opportunity Poverty Reduction Task Force (Task Force) to assess current state policies and practices that promote economic opportunities and poverty reduction and develop and propose a plan to expand economic opportunities in Hawaii; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Task Force study and evaluate best policies and practices that:

 

(1)  Build family assets and financial stability;

 

(2)  Increase preschool through postsecondary educational opportunities;

 

(3)  Expand the workforce with quality jobs that meet private sector needs;

 

(4)  Make work pay through the use of fair and sustainable targeted tax policies; and

 

(5)  Address work-support issues; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Task Force study and evaluate:

 

(1)  Federally-supported and state-supported programs that serve persons living in poverty;

 

(2)  The economic impact of poverty;

 

(3)  Current policies and services that affect persons living below the self-sufficiency standard;

 

(4)  The interaction of various issues that affect poverty, such as a lack of education, health care, housing, income, child care, and food security; and

(5)  The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, with the goal of recommending changes to increase participation and secure additional federal funds for assistance with education and training; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Task Force, before December 22, 2015, develop a strategic, integrated, and comprehensive plan to expand economic opportunities in Hawaii to reduce, by at least 50 percent by 2021, the number of Hawaii residents, including children and families, living in poverty; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Task Force comprise the following individuals;

 

(1)  One member of the House of Representatives appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives;

 

(2)  One member of the Senate appointed by the President of the Senate;

 

     (3)  One member appointed by the Governor;

 

(4)  One member of a community organization with expertise in poverty reduction or asset building appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives from a list of three organizations submitted by the Majority Leader of the House of Representatives; and

 

(5)  One member of a community organization with expertise in poverty reduction or asset building appointed by the President of the Senate from a list of three organizations submitted by the Majority Leader of the Senate; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Task Force members select one of its members to serve as chairperson of the Task Force; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the initial appointments to the Task Force shall be made by August 1, 2015; and
     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that members of the Task Force shall serve without compensation and shall not be reimbursed for any expenses incurred in the performance of their duties; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Task Force shall meet at least four times and additionally as convened by the chairperson; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Task Force is requested to submit a report of its findings and recommendations, including proposed legislation, if any, to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2017; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Task Force be terminated on December 22, 2017; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Governor and the Director of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism.

 

 

 

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title: 

Economic Opportunity Poverty Reduction Task Force