Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2002

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred H.B. No. 2072, H.D. 2, entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to appropriate $1,000,000 from the emergency budget and reserve fund to provide housing assistance to Hawaii's needy.

Your Committee finds that the State has not fully recovered from the economic aftermath of September 11. Many people who lost their jobs after September 11 are still either looking for work or waiting to be rehired by their former employers. Unfortunately, in the meantime, they face the possibility of eviction or foreclosure.

This bill is designed to assist these families with their rent, mortgage, utility, and other housing expenses to help prevent them from becoming homeless, and thus better able to return to the job market in the future.

Your Committee has amended the bill by changing the appropriation to a blank amount in order to promote further discussion on this matter.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2072, H.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2072, H.D. 2, S.D. 1.