STAND. COM. REP. NO.  174

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2015

RE:   H.B. No. 765

      H.D. 1

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2015

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committees on Human Services and Housing, to which was referred H.B. No. 765 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HOUSING,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funds to the Department of Human Services to support the State's housing first programs in helping Hawaii's chronically homeless with housing and other support services.  

The Hawaii Primary Care Association, Partners in Care, Hawaii Catholic Conference, Hope Services Hawaii, PHOCUSED, Community Health Outreach Work, Catholic Charities Hawaii, Hawaii Appleseed Center for Law and Economic Justice, and two concerned individuals testified in support of this measure.  The Department of Human Services provided comments.

     Your Committees note that the Legislature implemented one position in 2013 to assist the Department of Human Services in administering these community programs; however, after two years the position remains unfilled. 

     Your Committees have amended this measure by:

     (1)  Deleting specific appropriation amounts to be deposited into and expended from the Housing First Special Fund; and

     (2)  Changing its effective date to July 1, 2050, to promote further discussion.

     Should the Committee on Finance deliberate this measure further, your Committees respectfully request that it consider appropriating $3,000,000 for fiscal year 2015-2016 to be deposited into and expended from the Housing First Special Fund for the Department of Human Services to continue to administer the State's housing first programs for chronically homeless individuals in the State.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Human Services and Housing that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 765, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 765, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

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

____________________________ MARK J. HASHEM, Chair

____________________________ DEE MORIKAWA, Chair