STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3534

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.R. No. 38

       S.D. 1

Honorable Shan S. Tsutsui

President of the Senate

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2012

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Human Services, to which was referred S.R. No. 38 entitled:

"SENATE RESOLUTION URGING THE HAWAII PUBLIC HOUSING AUTHORITY TO APPLY FOR A CHOICE NEIGHBORHOODS GRANT,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to urge the Hawaii Public Housing Authority to apply for a United States Department of Housing and Urban Development Choice Neighborhoods Grant.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaii Public Housing Authority.

     Your Committee finds that the Hawaii Public Housing Authority is currently in the process of applying for a Choice Neighborhoods Planning Grant.  In 2011, the Authority was among seventy-one applicants that met the threshold criteria for a Choice Neighborhoods Planning Grant.  Unfortunately, due to federal fiscal constraints, the Authority was not among the thirteen planning grants awarded and therefore did not have the funding to undertake the necessary steps to develop the required transformation plan that supports the application for an implementation grant.

     Your Committee further finds that the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development anticipates awarding as many as twenty planning grants under the fiscal year 2012 Notice of Funds Availability.  Therefore, the Authority is focusing its efforts on obtaining a planning grant to develop a transformation plan that will be submitted for a full implementation grant.

     Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Amending the BE IT RESOLVED language to express support by the Legislature of the Hawaii Public Housing Authority's application for a Choice Neighborhoods Grant and to urge the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development to select the Authority as a Choice Neighborhoods Grant recipient;

     (2)  Amending the title accordingly; and

     (3)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Human Services that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of S.R. No. 38, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, in the form attached hereto as S.R. No. 38, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Human Services,

____________________________

SUZANNE CHUN OAKLAND, Chair