[PART V.] PUBLIC SERVICE EMPLOYMENT

 

§346-101  Findings and purpose.  Thelegislature finds that:

(1)  The magnitude of Hawaii's welfare situation,either in terms of people or in terms of dollar costs, is staggering;

(2)  The present welfare environment can be attributedto many variables such as, the change in society's attitude toward welfare,poverty, and public assistance to a greater acceptance and assuming of greaterresponsibility and the ever-increasing rate in the population of the State;

(3)  While the State must do what it can, viablesolutions to the State's welfare crisis must be found;

(4)  In view of the aforementioned factors, perhapsone solution lies in the establishment of a public service employment program;

(5)  There is a supply of unemployed or underemployedpersons receiving general assistance payments from the State who are availablefor public service employment;

(6)  There also exists a substantial number of unmetpublic needs, including environmental concerns such as, development,landscaping and beautification of highways, parks, hiking trails, botanicalgardens, beaches and restoration of historic sites; and

(7)  A meaningful program of public service employmentcould serve persons receiving general assistance payments as well as theresidential population of the State and at the same time alleviate some of theburden on the present welfare rolls.

The purpose of this part is to establish publicservice employment to assist in alleviating the unemployment of generalassistance recipients as well as meeting some of the urgent public serviceneeds that exist by having these individuals perform meaningful and productiveservices of the State which cannot otherwise be met.  Public service employmentwill also assist the department of human services in determining whether ageneral assistance recipient should be eligible for public assistance forrefusal to participate without a justifiable reason. [L 1973, c 177, pt of §2;am L 1987, c 339, §4]