STAND. COM. REP. NO.  396

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2017

RE:   H.B. No. 1195

      H.D. 1

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2017

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committees on Human Services and Health, to which was referred H.B. No. 1195 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HOMELESSNESS,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funds to the Department of Health (DOH) and the Department of Human Services (DHS), including the Office of Youth Services (OYS), to provide outreach services for homeless individuals.

Catholic Charities Hawaii, Parents and Children Together, Hawaii Youth Services Network, PHOCUSED, IMUAlliance, Hawaii Children's Action Network, The CHOW Project, and several individuals testified in support of this measure.  The Governor's Coordinator on Homelessness, DOH, DHS, OYS, and an individual commented on this measure.

     Your Committees have amended this measure by:

(1)  Amending the appropriations to unspecified amounts;

(2)  Specifying that the expending agency for outreach, counseling, and diversion for homeless unsheltered persons is DOH;

(3)  Clarifying that the expending agency for outreach to unaccompanied homeless youth is OYS;

(4)  Changing its effective date to July 1, 2075, to facilitate further discussion on this measure; and

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

Should the Committee on Finance further deliberate on this measure, your Committees respectfully request that it consider appropriating for each year of the 2017-2019 fiscal biennium:

(1)  $1,000,000 for outreach to homeless persons with serious and persistent mental illness;

(2)  $800,000 for outreach, counseling, and diversion for homeless unsheltered persons experiencing substance abuse and, of this amount, $200,000 for the Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion Pilot Project;

(3)  $1,200,000 for additional outreach to homeless individuals and families with children;

(4)  $300,000 for outreach to unaccompanied homeless youth; and

(5)  $500,000 for civil legal services for homeless persons.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Human Services and Health that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1195, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1195, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

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

____________________________ DELLA AU BELATTI, Chair

____________________________ DEE MORIKAWA, Chair