STAND. COM. REP. NO.  102

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2009

RE:   H.B. No. 1406

      H.D. 1

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2009

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Housing, to which was referred H.B. No. 1406 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO COMMUNITY SERVICES AND THE STATE HOMELESS PROGRAMS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to streamline the State's delivery of key human service programs by merging the functions and duties of the Office of Community Services (OCS) of the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations with those of the homeless programs branch of the Hawaii Public Housing Authority (HPHA), into a new Office of Homeless and Community Services, to be created within the Department of Human Services (DHS). 

     OCS, Hawaii County Economic Opportunity Council, and Catholic Charities Hawaii supported this bill.  DHS and HPHA supported the intent of this measure.  The State Procurement Office provided comments. 

     Your Committee has amended this bill by:

(1)  Deleting the exemption for provider agencies selected by the Office of Homeless and Community Services to administer homeless facilities or any other program for the homeless from the state procurement law for purchases of health and human services under chapter 103F, Hawaii Revised Statutes; and

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

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Housing that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1406, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1406, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Judiciary.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Housing,

____________________________

RIDA CABANILLA, Chair