STAND. COM. REP. NO. 37

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 5

       S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2017

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committees on Human Services and Housing, to which was referred S.B. No. 5 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HUMAN SERVICES,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to establish and appropriate funds for the housing program for homeless individuals with chronic disease.

     Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from Hawai‘i Pacific Health and one individual.  Your Committees received comments on this measure from the Governor's Coordinator on Homelessness and Department of Human Services.

     Your Committees find that homeless persons are often in poor health and found to be suffering from several chronic diseases.  Because health and homelessness are intertwined, assisting homeless persons with multiple chronic diseases in finding housing is critical.  Further, homelessness exacerbates already ill individuals, so by identifying chronically ill persons and providing them with housing, the State can help end the cycle that reinforces poverty and illness.

     Your Committees have amended this measure by inserting an effective date of July 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Human Services and Housing that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 5, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 5, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

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

________________________________ WILL ESPERO, Chair

________________________________ JOSH GREEN, Chair