STAND. COM. REP. NO. 206

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    S.B. No. 814

 

 

 

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2013

State of Hawaii

 

Madam:

 

     Your Committees on Human Services and Public Safety, Intergovernmental and Military Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 814 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO STATE LOW-INCOME PUBLIC HOUSING,"

 

beg leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to authorize the Hawaii Public Housing Authority to allow law enforcement officers who would not otherwise be eligible to occupy a state low-income public housing project to reside in a state low-income public housing unit for the purpose of increasing security and safety for the public housing development residents.

 

     Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Public Safety, Hawaii Public Housing Authority, and Community Alliance for Mental Health.

 

     Your Committees find that current federal law allows law enforcement officers to reside in Hawaii's federal low-income public housing communities.  However, there is no state law that would allow law enforcement officers to reside in state low-income public housing.  By allowing law enforcement officers to reside in state low-income public housing communities, these law enforcement officers would greatly reduce criminal activity on the Hawaii Public Housing Authority's properties through immediate arrest and prosecution capacity, thereby increasing the safety of state low-income public housing communities.

 

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Human Services and Public Safety, Intergovernmental and Military Affairs that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 814 and recommend that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Human Services and Public Safety, Intergovernmental and Military Affairs,

 

____________________________

WILL ESPERO, Chair

 

____________________________

SUZANNE CHUN OAKLAND, Chair