68
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES             H.R. NO.              
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2000                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
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                     HOUSE  RESOLUTION

  REQUESTING THE STATE HEALTH PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT AGENCY TO
    REQUIRE A SOCIAL IMPACT STATEMENT TO BE SUBMITTED FOR ANY
    PROPOSED USE INVOLVING MENTAL HEALTH OR PUBLIC SAFETY IN A
    COMMUNITY.



 1        WHEREAS, the State needs a treatment facility in Hawaii
 2   for juvenile sex offenders to rehabilitate these children at
 3   home in Hawaii, close to their families; and
 4   
 5        WHEREAS, the Department of Health has planned, and has
 6   begun construction of such a full-time residential treatment
 7   facility to treat up to ten children aged twelve to seventeen
 8   who have exhibited inappropriate sexual behavior at the Waimano
 9   Training School and Hospital in Pearl City, which is set to be
10   turned over to the Department of Land and Natural Resources on
11   July 1, 2000; and
12   
13        WHEREAS, these youths, now being treated on the Mainland,
14   would receive mental health therapy required by the Felix
15   consent decree; and
16   
17        WHEREAS, unfortunately, although scheduled to open in
18   June, 2000, the Department of Health did not inform the
19   community of its plans until January, 2000, by which time
20   construction on the facility had already begun; and
21   
22        WHEREAS, although the Legislature appropriated $1,500,000
23   for such a facility two years ago, the site for the proposed
24   facility had not been considered at the time; and
25   
26        WHEREAS, proposing a mental health treatment center for
27   juvenile sex offenders would raise concerns in any
28   neighborhood, but especially if the community in which the
29   proposed use is intended is not informed and input is not
30   solicited; and
31   
32        WHEREAS, earlier communication and community involvement
33   would have led to community-approved safety and security
34   measures as part of the planning, design, and construction of
35   the project; and
36   

 
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                                  H.R. NO.              
                                                        
                                                        


 1        WHEREAS, because a proposed use of this sort would clearly
 2   affect any community, it is in the public interest to require a
 3   social impact statement and ancillary public hearings to be
 4   held whenever a mental health, public safety, or other similar
 5   use is proposed in a community; now, therefore,
 6   
 7        BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the
 8   Twentieth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session
 9   of 2000, that the State Health Planning and Development Agency
10   is requested to require a social impact statement to be
11   submitted for any mental health, public safety, or other
12   similar proposed use in a community; and
13   
14        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that State Health Planning and
15   Development Agency is further requested to develop and submit
16   to the Legislature any necessary proposed legislation for
17   introduction at least twenty days prior to the convening of the
18   Regular Session of 2001; and
19   
20        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this
21   Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Health and the
22   Administrator of the State Health Planning and Development
23   Agency.
24   
25   
26   
27                         OFFERED BY:  ____________________________

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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