STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1304-18

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2018

 

RE:   S.B. No. 2401

      S.D. 2

      H.D. 1

 

 

 

 

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2018

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committees on Housing and Health & Human Services, to which was referred S.B. No. 2401, S.D. 2, entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HOMELESSNESS,"

 

beg leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this measure is to support efforts to reduce homelessness by:

 

(1)  Establishing a three-year housing homeless children pilot program to assist families with minors experiencing, or at imminent risk of, homelessness due to domestic violence with obtaining and maintaining permanent housing; and

 

(2)  Appropriating funds to the Hawaii Public Housing Authority, Department of Human Services, and Department of Health to support the agencies' homelessness initiatives.

 

     The Department of Health, Department of Human Services, Hawaii Substance Abuse Coalition, Domestic Violence Action Center, PHOCUSED, IMUAlliance, Oahu County Committee on Legislative Priorities of the Democratic Party of Hawaii, YWCA Oahu, Life Foundation, The CHOW Project, The Drug Policy Forum of Hawaii, The Salvation Army, Community Alliance on Prisons, Hawaii Appleseed Center for Law and Economic Justice, and several individuals supported this measure.  The Governor's Coordinator on Homelessness, Hawaii Public Housing Authority, Hawaii Youth Services Network, Partners in Care, and Catholic Charities Hawaii offered comments on this measure.

 

     Your Committees note the testimony of Partners in Care and Catholic Charities suggesting that the funding appropriated to assist unaccompanied youth be designated to the Office of Youth Services in the Department of Human Services.  If this bill progresses through the legislative process, your Committees respectfully request that the Committee on Finance consider the suggestion. 

 

     Your Committees have amended this measure by:

 

(1)   Specifying that the Hawaii Public Housing Authority does not need to adhere to the State Procurement Code to procure case management and counseling services to assist participants in the housing homeless children pilot program; and

 

(2)   Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for clarity, consistency, and style.

 

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Housing and Health & Human Services that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2401, S.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2401, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

 

 

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

 

 

____________________________

JOHN M. MIZUNO, Chair

 

____________________________

TOM BROWER, Chair