STAND. COM. REP. NO. 446

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2023

RE: H.B. No. 671

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2023

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Housing and Health & Homelessness, to which was referred H.B. No. 671 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO OHANA ZONES,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funds and authorize the issuance of general obligation bonds for the Ohana Zones Pilot Program.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Governor's Coordinator on Homelessness, Department of Human Services, one member of the Kaua‘i County Council, AARP Hawai‘i, Family Promise of Hawai‘i, Hawai‘i Health & Harm Reduction Center, and one individual. Your Committees received testimony in opposition to this measure from one individual. Your Committees received comments on this measure from the Department of the Attorney General.

Your Committees find that the Ohana Zones Pilot Program provides an essential source of funding for innovative approaches to serve and house people experiencing homelessness and to fill gaps in homeless housing and services that cannot be done with other sources of funding. Your Committees believe that more funding is needed to continue providing necessary services under the Ohana Zones Pilot Program to reduce the number of residents experiencing, or who are on the verge of, homelessness. However, your Committees want to ensure that certain funds provided under this measure are for the development of new units under the pilot program.

Your Committees also find that mobile homes have been used elsewhere to provide necessary housing to those who are on the verge of becoming homeless. Your Committees believe that mobile homes may be another solution that can be provided under the Ohana Zones Pilot Program and believe that mobile homes could be considered an alternative option under the Ohana Zones Pilot Program.

Your Committees have amended this measure by:

(1) Specifying that the general obligation bonds shall be used for the construction or rehabilitation of facilities that will result in new units for the Ohana Zones Pilot Program;

(2) Inserting an expenditure clause for the general obligation bonds for the Office of the Governor, including general powers of the Governor and executive branch agencies in expending the funds;

(3) Changing the effective date to June 30, 3000, to encourage further discussion; and

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

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Housing and Health & Homelessness that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 671, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 671, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Housing and Health & Homelessness,

____________________________ DELLA AU BELATTI, Chair

____________________________ TROY N. HASHIMOTO, Chair