STAND. COM. REP. NO. 754

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2025

RE: H.B. No. 89

H.D. 2

Honorable Nadine K. Nakamura

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2025

State of Hawaii

Madame:

Your Committee on Education, to which was referred H.B. No. 89, H.D. 1, entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to establish and appropriate funds for the Teacher Housing Assistance Program to provide housing vouchers to certain eligible teachers who are employed at a hard-to-fill school.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs; one member of the Kauaʻi County Council; Hawaiʻi State Teachers Association; and numerous individuals. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of the Attorney General; Department of Education; and Hawaii Government Employees Association, AFSCME Local 152, AFL-CIO.

Your Committee finds that the State is experiencing a severe shortage of qualified teachers. Your Committee further finds that high cost of living and lack of affordable housing are major contributing factors to the teacher shortage. Your Committee believes that providing housing vouchers to qualifying teachers will alleviate the financial burden on teachers in obtaining housing.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Establishing procedures for the repayment of voucher funds by a teacher if the teacher is unable to fulfill the requirements of the Teacher Housing Assistance Program;

(2) Clarifying the eligibility requirements for participation in the Teacher Housing Assistance Program to:

(A) Include teachers who have taught at a public charter school for at least one year prior to applying for the Program; and

(B) Require teachers to commit to teach at a hard-to-staff school, rather than a hard-to-fill school, as determined by the Department of Education; 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 Education that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 89, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to your Committee on Finance in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 89, H.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Education,

____________________________

JUSTIN H. WOODSON, Chair