STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3695

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: H.B. No. 2753

H.D. 1

S.D. 2

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2018

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred H.B. No. 2753, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HOMELESSNESS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to establish various pilot programs and initiatives to address problems encountered by homeless individuals and to reduce homelessness in the State.

Your Committee received written comments in support of this measure from the Mayor of the County of Hawaii; Aloha United Way; The Queen's Health Systems; Foo W. Lim & Sons, Inc.; Hawaii Kai Homeless Task Force; Community First; Hawaii Psychological Association; IMUAlliance; Oahu County Committee on Legislative Priorities of the Democratic Party of Hawaii; and Pele Lani Farm LLC.

Written comments on this measure were received from the Governor's Coordinator on Homelessness, Department of Land and Natural Resources, Department of Human Services, City and County of Honolulu Mayor's Office of Housing, and Catholic Charities Hawaii.

Your Committee finds that homelessness is a complex issue with many causes. The programs and initiatives established by this measure will help to address many of the causes of homelessness and develop future programs to reduce homelessness in Hawaii.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Requiring the Department of Human Services' Homeless Programs Office to consult with landholding state agencies as well as homeless advocates in identifying and evaluating locations where an ohana zone may be established;

(2) Requiring that at least fifty per cent of the manufacturing labor costs of each dwelling in an ohana zone be incurred in the State;

(3) Deleting the requirement that the total sum of funding for the coordinated statewide homeless initiative shall be provided to the master contractor at the start of the program;

(4) Adding a requirement that the appropriation for the coordinated statewide homeless initiative shall include fiscal accountability safeguards that address upfront payment accountability measures;

(5) Clarifying that the matching funds provided by the Department of Health for the emergency department homeless assessment pilot program shall reimburse entities for one-half of the expenses related to the program if equally matched by the participating hospital;

(6) Requiring that an interim report for the pre-arrest diversion pilot project shall be submitted no later than January 1, 2020, and that the final report be submitted prior to the convening of the 2021 Regular Session;

(7) Requiring that the entities that receive funds appropriated by the measure enter relevant data into the homeless management information system; and

(8) Making technical nonsubstantive amendments for purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2753, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2753, H.D. 1, S.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

________________________________

DONOVAN M. DELA CRUZ, Chair