STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2845

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2278

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 S.B. No. 2278, S.D. 1, entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to improve teacher recruitment and retention.

Specifically, this measure:

(1) Establishes a teacher home assistance program, to be administered by the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation, to provide housing vouchers to qualified full-time teachers employed by the Department of Education, including teachers at public charter schools; and

(2) Appropriates funds to the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation to provide housing vouchers through the teacher home assistance program.

Your Committee received written comments in support of this measure from the Department of Education; Hawaiian Community Assets; Hawaii State Teachers Association; OCC Legislative Priorities Committee, Democratic Party of Hawai'i; Young Progressives Demanding Action - Hawaii; IMUAlliance; Kamehameha Schools; and two individuals.

Your Committee received written comments on this measure from the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation.

Your Committee finds that Hawaii's high cost of living poses a significant burden on teachers and is a significant contributing factor in the Department of Education's teacher recruitment and retention issues.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Including teachers at public charter schools among those who are eligible to receive a housing voucher on a first-come, first-served basis;

(2) Changing the effective date to July 1, 2050, to facilitate further discussion on the measure; and

(3) Making technical nonsubstantive amendments for the 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 S.B. No. 2278, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2278, S.D. 2.

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

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DONOVAN M. DELA CRUZ, Chair