STAND. COM. REP. NO.  339-16

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2016

RE:   H.B. No. 2659

      H.D. 1

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2016

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committees on Housing and Human Services, to which was referred H.B. No. 2659 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HOUSING,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to authorize the use of the Rental Housing Revolving Fund and the Dwelling Unit Revolving Fund to provide rent subsidies, loans, or grants for residential housing for persons who qualify for social security disability benefits and are diagnosed with serious mental illnesses.

The Department of Health and Mental Health Kokua supported this measure.  The Governor's Coordinator on Homelessness supported the intent of this measure.  The Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation opposed this measure.

     Your Committees have amended this measure by:

     (1)  Deleting provisions requiring funding from the Dwelling Unit Revolving Fund and the Rental Housing Revolving Fund, and instead requiring an unspecified percentage of funds from the Housing First Special Fund to be used for housing for residents who qualify for social security disability benefits and are diagnosed with a life-long serious mental illness; and

     (2)  Changing the effective date to July 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion.

     Should the Committee on Finance deliberate this measure further, your Committees on Housing and Human Services respectfully request that it consider examining what percentage of funds from the Housing First Special Fund is needed to be used for housing for residents who qualify for social security disability benefits and are diagnosed with a life-long serious mental illness.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Housing and Human Services that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2659, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2659, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

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

____________________________ DEE MORIKAWA, Chair

____________________________ MARK J. HASHEM, Chair