STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3003

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: H.B. No. 2744

H.D. 1

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2018

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Housing, to which was referred H.B. No. 2744, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HOUSING ASSISTANCE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to appropriate funds to the Hawaii Public Housing Authority for the state rent supplement program.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Governor's Coordinator on Homelessness, Hawaii Public Housing Authority, Catholic Charities Hawai‘i, and O‘ahu County Committee on Legislative Priorities of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i.

Your Committee finds that the state rent supplement program has proven to be effective in securing and maintaining housing for working individuals, senior or disabled individuals, and families who are homeless. The state rent supplement program provides a relatively shallow, but sustained, rental subsidy to enable vulnerable households or those at imminent risk of homelessness to close the rental affordability gap, maintain housing, and achieve self-sufficiency. This measure provides additional rent supplement subsidies to eligible individuals and families.

Your Committee has amended this measure by making a technical, nonsubstantive amendment for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Housing that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2744, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2744, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Housing,

________________________________

WILL ESPERO, Chair