Question: San Francisco voters approved a law that will require certain recipients of public assistance to be screened for illegal drug use. Does Honolulu have such a requirement?

Answer: No, but to be clear, Honolulu’s city and county government doesn’t pay direct cash benefits the way San Francisco’s city and county government does.

“We offer cash assistance in the form of rental assistance, or no-interest home loans, but not in the form of cash payments,” Adam LeFebvre, a spokesperson for Honolulu’s Department of Community Services, said in an email. He confirmed that the city does not screen recipients or prospective recipients of public assistance for illegal drug use. Read more about Honolulu’s available benefits at honolulu.gov/dcs.

In San Francisco, voters last week approved Proposition F, which will require “single adults age 65 and under with no dependent children who receive City public assistance benefits and whom the City reasonably suspects are dependent on illegal drugs to participate in screening, evaluation and treatment for drug dependency for those adults to be eligible for most of those benefits.”

According to the voter guide for this measure (808ne.ws/measureF), California law requires each county in that state to provide public assistance for poor, single adults 65 and younger. San Francisco does so through its County Adult Assistance Programs, which generally serve only those without dependent children. “CAAP recipients collect benefit packages that pay for or provide needed services such as employment assistance, housing, shelter, utilities and food. In 2023, housed CAAP recipients generally received $712 per month. CAAP recipients experiencing homelessness received access to shelter and food through the City’s shelter system and a cash grant of up to $109 per month,” the guide said.

Under Proposition F, to continue to receive CAAP benefits, a recipient suspected to be dependent on illegal drugs would be screened and, if the test confirms the drug use, be required to enter a free drug treatment program. Prop F does not require the person to be sober or maintain sobriety to be eligible for CAAP.

Proponents describe the measure as a step toward reforming city policies that have enabled deadly illegal drug use at taxpayers’ expense. Opponents say it’s punitive and will increase homelessness by denying support to those who refuse drug treatment.

A city official said Proposition F would take effect Jan. 1, although a labor union representing San Francisco’s Human Services workers has sought to void the measure, saying it could put staff who work with welfare recipients at risk, according to San Francisco news reports.

To answer another reader’s question, no, there are no requirements for mandatory drug screening for TANF or TAONF recipients in Hawaii, according to the state Department of Human Services. Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and Temporary Assistance for Other Needy Families provide monthly cash benefits to low-income households with minor children. For more information, see humanservices.hawaii.gov.

Q: This is my first year filing Hawaii taxes. My roommate said there is an automatic six-month extension. Is this true?

A: Yes, but it’s an extension to file, not an extension to pay. Hawaii’s individual income tax return deadline is April 22, with, as usual, an automatic six-month extension of time to file. “There is no extension of time to pay if a taxpayer has a balance due; failure to pay by the April 22, 2024, deadline may result in the imposition of penalties and interest,” according to the state Department of Taxation.

Mahalo

Mahalo to the two men in Chinatown who came to our aid earlier this month when my elderly mom tripped over a metal grate on the sidewalk and fell hard. Although they had just passed us laden with bags of produce and goods, they turned back to help my mom to stand and steady herself. I was distracted with my mom, but I want them to know that their kindness, action and words of care did not go unnoticed. As my mom retells her fall, she always mentions the two men who came to help her! Mahalo! — LAC

Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-500, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 808-529-4773; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.