STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1191

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2011

 

RE:   S.B. No. 900

      S.D. 2

      H.D. 1

 

 

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2011

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committees on Housing and Human Services, to which was referred S.B. No. 900, S.D. 2, entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HOMELESSNESS,"

 

beg leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this bill is to establish the Hawaii Interagency Council on Homelessness and to appropriate funds for administrative expenses.

 

     The Hawaii Public Housing Authority (HPHA) and Hawaii Association of REALTORS testified in support of this bill.  Catholic Charities Hawaii and Partners In Care supported the intent of this measure.  Helping Hands Hawaii supported this bill with amendments.  The Department of Human Services (DHS), Roman Catholic Diocese of Honolulu, and United States Veterans Initiative provided comments.

 

     Your Committees circulated a proposed draft prior to the public hearing that replaces the contents of the bill as received with provisions that appropriate funds to establish safe havens for persons who are homeless in designated existing parks and open or vacant locations.

 

     The Chairman of the Democratic Party of Hawaii testified in support of the proposed draft.  Partners In Care provided comments on the proposed draft.

 

     Your Committees have amended this bill by adopting the proposed draft and further amending it by:

 

     (1)  Deleting reference to parks and specifying that surplus or available open or vacant locations be used; and

 

     (2)  Requiring DHS to adopt rules to establish and implement the safe havens.

 

     Technical, nonsubstantive amendments were also made for

clarity, consistency, and style.

 

     Your Committees note that while it is under the purview of your Committee on Finance to consider the fiscal impacts of the bill, your Committees encourage HPHA to pursue alternative funding should general funds not be available to implement the provisions of this measure.

 

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Housing and Human Services that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 900, S.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 900, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Housing and Human Services,

 

 

____________________________

JOHN M. MIZUNO, Chair

 

____________________________

RIDA T.R. CABANILLA, Chair