HSCR854-10

STAND. COM. REP. NO. 854-10

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2010

RE: S.B. No. 2473

S.D. 1

H.D. 1

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2010

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Housing, to which was referred S.B. No. 2473, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HOUSING,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to assist grandparents raising their grandchildren by:

(1) Allowing grandchildren of elderly housing project residents to temporarily reside with the elderly resident or be transferred to public family housing during certain family crisis situations; and

(2) Granting elderly residents evicted or transferred to family housing first priority back into elderly housing when the crisis has abated.

The Kokua Council, Hawaii Family Forum, Hawaii Catholic Conference, and a concerned individual testified in support of this bill. The Hawaii Public Housing Authority (HPHA) provided comments.

Your Committee has amended this bill by:

(1) Specifying that:

(A) The grandchild must be younger than 18 years of age;

(B) The temporary stay can last no longer than three months;

(D) The elderly tenant must be competent; and

(E) HPHA must verify the presence of a family crisis;

(2) Deleting language that allows HPHA to transfer the elderly tenant to state or federal public family housing; and

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

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 S.B. No. 2473, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2473, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

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

____________________________

RIDA CABANILLA, Chair