STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2777

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2481

S.D. 2

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 2481, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO YOUTH CRISIS CENTERS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to establish the Youth Crisis Branch and the position of Administrator of the Youth Crisis Branch within the Office of Youth Services.

Your Committee received written comments in support of this measure from the Governor's Coordinator on Homelessness, Office of Youth Services, Hawaii Health and Harm Reduction Center, Opportunity Youth Action Hui, and three individuals.

Your Committee received written comments on this measure from the Department of Budget and Finance and Department of Human Services.

Your Committee finds that interaction with the legal system has been shown to have adverse effects on youth. Accordingly, your Committee notes that this measure's inclusion of a thirty-day limit on the provision of temporary shelter per person is solely intended to avoid the necessity of youth interacting with the legal system. Your Committee does not intend that this thirty-day limit will prevent the inclusion of legal system supports when those supports are advantageous or necessary.

Your Committee has amended this measure by changing the effective date to July 1, 2050, to facilitate further discussion on the measure.

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. 2481, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2481, 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