STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1783

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.C.R. No. 196

       S.D. 1

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Human Services and Public Housing, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 196 entitled:

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TO CONDUCT A STUDY OF ADULT RESIDENTIAL CARE HOMES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to request the Department of Health to conduct a study of adult residential care homes.

     The City Council of the City and County of Honolulu and thirteen individuals submitted testimony in support of this measure.  The Department of Health and the Hawaii Coalition of Care Home Administrators submitted testimony in opposition to this measure.

     Your Committee finds that the development of adult residential care homes in residential neighborhoods has caused residents to raise concerns regarding attendant traffic, parking, delivery, noise, trash collections, and emergency services response challenges.  Further, residents of Manoa, in particular, question the regulation of these facilities in their neighborhoods, including the distance of the facilities from each other and whether there is sufficient opportunity for public notice, review, or comment before permitting.  This measure will bring interested stakeholders together as a working group to study these and other related issues.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Changing the purpose of the measure from requesting the Department of Health to conduct a study of adult residential care homes to requesting the Department of Health to convene a working group to study the development of adult residential care homes in residential neighborhoods in Manoa;

     (2)  Amending the title of the measure to reflect the change in purpose;

     (3)  Amending several of the clauses to reflect current information that was received during testimony and the change in purpose; and

     (4)  Making technical, nonsubstantive changes for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Human Services and Public Housing that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 196, as amended herein, and recommends its adoption in the form attached hereto as S.C.R. No. 196, S.D. 1.

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

____________________________

SUZANNE CHUN OAKLAND, Chair