§26-14 Department of human services. (a) The department of human services shall be headed by a single executive to be known as the director of human services.
(b) The department shall administer programs through an integrated and multigenerational approach designed to improve the social well-being, economic security, and productivity of the people of the State and to reduce the incidence of intergenerational poverty and dependence upon public benefits. Without limit to the generality of the foregoing, the department shall concern itself with problems of human behavior, adjustment, and daily living through the administration of programs of family, child and adult welfare, economic assistance, health care assistance, rehabilitation toward self-care and support, public housing, and other related programs provided by law.
(c) The functions and authority heretofore exercised by the department of public welfare, the bureau of sight conservation and work with the blind (except for the transcription services program transferred to the department of education), the council on veterans' affairs, and any other agency of the state or county governments with respect to the assistance and care of the indigent and medically indigent as heretofore constituted are transferred to the department of human services established by this chapter.
(d) The Hawaii public housing authority and the Hawaii state commission on the status of women are placed within the department of human services for administrative purposes only. [L Sp 1959 2d, c 1, §20; am L 1961, c 128, §4; am L 1963, c 193, §4; am L 1965, c 175, §41(b); Supp, §14A-19; am L 1967, c 274, §2; HRS §26-14; am L 1969, c 42, §1; am L 1970, c 105, §5; am L 1975, c 79, §1; am L 1976, c 92, § §6, 8; am L 1980, c 10, §1; am L 1983, c 74, §1; gen ch 1985; am L 1987, c 338, §1(3) superseded by c 339, §2(2); am L 1993, c 197, §2; am L 1996, c 186, §1; am L 1997, c 350, §4; am L 2003, c 92, §2; am L 2005, c 147, §2; am L 2007, c 249, §41; am L 2019, c 82, §2]
Cross References
State rehabilitation council, see §348-8.
Attorney General Opinions
Qualifications of director construed. Att. Gen. Op. 62-18.
Structure Hawaii Revised Statutes
Title 4. State Organization and Administration, Generally
26. Executive and Administrative Departments
26-1 Office of the lieutenant governor.
26-2 Order of succession to offices of governor and lieutenant governor.
26-3 Position of administrative director created.
26-5 Department of human resources development.
26-6 Department of accounting and general services.
26-7 Department of the attorney general.
26-8 Department of budget and finance.
26-9 Department of commerce and consumer affairs.
26-12 Department of education.
26-14 Department of human services.
26-14.6 Department of public safety.
26-15 Department of land and natural resources.
26-16 Department of agriculture.
26-17 Department of Hawaiian home lands.
26-18 Department of business, economic development, and tourism.
26-19 Department of transportation.
26-20 Department of labor and industrial relations.
26-23 Assignment of functions.
26-24 Agencies and offices abolished.
26-25 Services to the judiciary and legislature.
26-31 Selection and terms of single executives as heads of departments.
26-32 Acting heads of departments; appointment of; responsibility for acts of.
26-33 Performance of duties of vacant office.
26-34 Selection and terms of members of boards and commissions.
26-35 Administrative supervision of boards and commissions.
26-36 Acting members of boards.
26-37 Substitutes for officials called into active service.
26-38 Powers and duties of heads of departments.
26-41 Temporary boards and commissions.
26-51 Governor; lieutenant governor.
26-52 Department heads and executive officers.
26-53 Deputies or assistants to department heads.