STAND. COM. REP. NO. 219-18

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2018

RE: H.B. No. 2461

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2018

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Health & Human Services and Housing, to which was referred H.B. No. 2461 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HOMELESSNESS,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to secure necessary funding to establish two pilot homeless villages under a Housing First paradigm. Specifically, this measure:

(1) Establishes a Hawaii County Homeless Villages program (Program) within the Department of Human Services;

(2) Waives applicable state and county permitting and construction fees for the Program;

(3) Requires the Department of Human Services to establish two homeless assessment centers in the county of Hawaii;

(4) Appropriates funds for the Program and the management, maintenance, and day-to-day operations of the homeless villages and homeless assessment centers in the county of Hawaii;

(5) Provides immunity from civil liability to volunteers and state employees who provide housing or services to homeless persons; and

(6) Exempts the State from claims arising out of the provision of housing or services to homeless persons.

The County of Hawaii Mayor, County of Hawaii Office of the Prosecuting Attorney, Catholic Charities Hawai‘i, Hawaii Kai Homeless Task Force, Hawaii Island HIV/AIDS Foundation, Oahu County Committee on Legislative Priorities of the Democratic Party of Hawaii, and three individuals testified in support of this measure. One individual testified in opposition. The Department of the Attorney General, Department of Human Services, Governor's Coordinator on Homelessness, League of Women Voters of Hawaii, and Hawaii Association for Justice provided comments.

Your Committees have amended this measure by:

(1) Clarifying that homelessness is an issue of statewide concern and that establishing pilot homeless villages is just one part of the State's ongoing efforts to address homelessness;

(2) Deleting the waiver of applicable county permitting and construction fees for the Program;

(3) Establishing a homeless villages special fund under the Department of Human Services, which shall consist of a portion of the filing fees collected when a mortgagee files a foreclosure notice with the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs; and

(4) Changing its effective date to July 1, 3000, to facilitate further discussion.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Health & Human Services and Housing that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2461, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2461, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary.

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

____________________________ TOM BROWER, Chair

____________________________ JOHN M. MIZUNO, Chair