Representative Jon Riki Karamatsu
Written Remarks into the House Journal
March 10, 2009; 26th Day
Stand Comm. Report No. 811, H.B. 625, H.D. 1, Relating to Surcharge for Indigent Legal Services
I rise in support of House Bill 625, House Draft 1, Relating to Surcharge for indigent Legal Services. The legislature finds that in the 2007 Assessment of Civil Legal Needs and Barriers of Low- and Moderate-Income People of Hawai‘i, four out of five low- and moderate-income residents did not have their legal needs met and that legal service providers are only able to assist one in three who contact them for assistance.
The legislature also finds that to increase the delivery of legal service, more funding is necessary. Additional funds could be generated by increasing the surcharge for indigent legal services, as recommended by the Access to Justice Hui in its Community Wide Action Plan: Ten Steps to Increase Access to Justice in Hawai‘i by 2010.
The legislature further finds that the Hawaii Consortium of Legal Services Providers has been working diligently to strengthen and increase outreach and services to low-income residents, and that each unique legal service provider requires a certain minimum amount of funding to meet basic expenses necessary to operate the respective non-profit organization or program. Therefore, the purpose of this bill is to change the allocation formula so that thirty per cent of all funds distributed shall be provided equally to all organizations or programs that meet the qualifications for receipt of the funds, in addition to a seventy per cent distribution of all funds pro rata under the current formula. Thank you.
JON RIKI KARAMATSU 