STAND. COM. REP. NO. 451

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2001

RE: S.B. No. 495

S.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2001

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Tourism and Intergovernmental Affairs and Health and Human Services, to which was referred S.B. No. 495 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HALFWAY HOUSES,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to amend the county zoning law to define halfway houses for the purpose of obtaining a conditional use permit from the appropriate county agency.

Your Committees received comments on this measure from Community Alliance on Prisons. The Department of Public Safety and T.J. Mahoney & Associates submitted testimony in opposition.

Your Committees find that this measure is in response to increasing community concerns regarding halfway houses and where they are located. Your Committees further find, however, that there are mechanisms in place to ensure that halfway houses undergo the necessary county zoning process to meet health and safety standards.

Your Committees have amended this measure to replace "conditional use" with "applicable zoning" permits, and to make the amendments in this Act prospective.

Your Committee believe, however, that there are still issues to be addressed regarding halfway houses, and urge the counties to continue discussions with the halfway houses to resolve community concerns.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Tourism and Intergovernmental Affairs and Health and Human Services that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 495, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 495, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Judiciary.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Tourism and Intergovernmental Affairs and Health and Human Services,

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DAVID MATSUURA, Chair

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DONNA MERCADO KIM, Chair