HI HR12

Request Hawaii Access to Justice Commission to assemble working group of government agencies and community entities to determine which agency should administer funding for civil legal services to low- and moderate-income individuals.

Working group to include representatives from Governor, Legislature, Judiciary, Attorney General, Department of Human Services, Department of Labor and Industrial Relations-Office of Community Services, Department of Budget and Finance, Department of Accounting and General Services, Hawaii Justice Foundation, Legal Aid Society of Hawaii, and Volunteer Legal Services Hawaii.

Plan must include history of state funding for civil legal services, analysis of benefits and barriers of assigning administration to various agencies, and recommendations on appropriate administering agency and funding levels.

Funding for civil legal services declined from $2,017,093 in fiscal year 2008 to $1,213,135 in fiscal year 2015, and grant-in-aid funding decreased from $1,832,496 to $400,000 over the same period.

Working group must submit plan to legislature no later than twenty days before 2016 Regular Session convenes; working group dissolves June 30, 2017.