STAND. COM. REP. NO.281-02

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2002

RE: H.B. No. 2764

 

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2002

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Human Services and Housing, to which was referred H.B. No. 2764 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO CONVEYANCE TAX,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to reallocate the amounts collected from the conveyance tax by:

(1) Decreasing the amount paid into the Natural Area Reserve Fund from 25 percent to 12.5 percent; and

(2) Designating 12.5 percent to be paid into the Homeless Assistance Trust Fund established by this bill.

Affordable Housing and Homeless Alliance, Institute for Human Services, Inc., Partners in Care, Hawaii Catholic Conference, and Volunteer Legal Services Hawaii testified in support of this measure. The Housing and Community Development Corporation of Hawaii and the Nature Conservancy of Hawaii supported the intent of this measure.

The Board of Land and Natural Resources and the Sierra Club Hawaii Chapter, opposed this measure. The Tax Foundation of Hawaii submitted comments.

Your Committee finds it necessary to find resources to house the homeless. Over 56,000 people have filed for unemployment since September 11, 2001, and a testifier stated that it takes about six to nine months from the point of crisis to become homeless. Given the state of the economy, your Committee is concerned that the existing homeless problem will worsen.

Your Committee recognizes the importance of protecting the environment, however, compromises need to be made to strike a balance between nature conservancy and providing shelter for the homeless.

Your Committee respectfully requests the next committee to consider amending this bill by limiting the reallocation to a period of one year to address the immediate homeless crisis.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Human Services and Housing that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2764 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

 

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

 

____________________________

MICHAEL P. KAHIKINA, Chair