Bill Text: HI SB2804 | 2012 | Regular Session | Amended

Hawaii Senate Bill 2804 (Prior Session Legislation)

Bill Title: Homelessness; Interagency Council; Designated Safe Facilities; Department of Human Services; Appropriation

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Passed) 2012-06-13 - (S) Act 105, 06/08/2012 (Gov. Msg. No. 1207). [SB2804 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2012-SB2804-Amended.html

CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REP. NO. 180-12

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2012

RE: S.B. No. 2804

S.D. 2

H.D. 2

C.D. 1

Honorable Shan S. Tsutsui

President of the Senate

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2012

State of Hawaii

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2012

State of Hawaii

Sirs:

Your Committee on Conference on the disagreeing vote of the Senate to the amendments proposed by the House of Representatives in S.B. No. 2804, S.D. 2, H.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE HAWAII INTERAGENCY COUNCIL ON HOMELESSNESS,"

having met, and after full and free discussion, has agreed to recommend and does recommend to the respective Houses the final passage of this bill in an amended form.

The purpose of this measure is to:

(1) Establish the Hawaii Interagency Council on Homelessness, to be administratively attached to the Department of Human Services; and

(2) Require the Department of Human Services to conduct a study on the feasibility of establishing safe havens in Hawaii and to submit a report to the Legislature prior to the convening of the 2013 Regular Session.

Your Committee on Conference finds that homelessness requires greater collaboration and coordination among diverse government entities, businesses, nonprofits, and faith-based organizations. This measure allows the Hawaii Interagency Council on Homelessness to continue identifying critical strategic goals and initiatives that would mitigate homelessness as well as ensure that homeless persons obtain permanent housing and become reintegrated into the community.

Your Committee on Conference also finds that there will always be a segment of the homeless population that does not reside in Hawaii's current homeless shelter system for reasons including lack of space, eligibility, or personal choice. For this population, a permissible temporary encampment may be highly preferable. In order to determine whether or not designating safe facilities for the homeless is feasible in Hawaii, your Committee on Conference finds that a study is the best course of action at this time.

Your Committee on Conference has amended this measure by:

(1) Amending the findings language;

(2) Establishing the Hawaii Interagency Council on Homelessness as a new part in chapter 346, Hawaii Revised Statutes, rather than in session laws;

(3) Designating the Governor's Coordinator on Homelessness as the Chair of the council rather than designating the Director of Human Services as the ad hoc Coordinator of the Council;

(4) Amending the objectives of the Hawaii Interagency Council on Homelessness, including specifying that the statewide plan to be formulated by the Council shall be a ten-year plan and that the Council shall advise the Governor on the implementation of the plan;

(5) Amending the issues that the ten-year, statewide plan must address to include activating, coordinating, and maintaining responsive action among the public, business, and faith-based communities to become part of the homelessness solutions strategy;

(6) Amending the membership of the Hawaii Interagency Council on Homelessness;

(7) Specifying that only the non-governmental members of the Council shall serve without compensation but be reimbursed for certain expenses;

(8) Deleting language that allowed the Council to prioritize, modify, or refrain from exercising any of the duties of the Council;

(9) Deleting language that required the Council to endeavor to coordinate the duties, responsibilities, and functions of all the members of the Council;

(10) Adding language that exempts members of the Hawaii Interagency Council on Homelessness from chapter 84, Hawaii Revised Statutes;

(11) Inserting an appropriation amount of $25,000 to the Department of Human Services for administrative expenses of the Hawaii Interagency Council on Homelessness;

(12) Amending the language that requires the Department of Human Services to conduct a study on establishing safe havens in Hawaii to instead require the Department, with the assistance and advisement of the Hawaii Interagency Council on Homelessness, to conduct a study on designating safe facilities that meet certain requirements;

(13) Amending the considerations and components required of the study;

(14) Amending the reporting requirement to require the Department of Human Services, in conjunction with and with the advisement of the Hawaii Interagency Council on Homelessness, to report on the progress of the establishment of designated safe facilities;

(15) Changing the effective date from July 1, 2030, to July 1, 2012; and

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

As affirmed by the record of votes of the managers of your Committee on Conference that is attached to this report, your Committee on Conference is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2804, S.D. 2, H.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Final Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2804, S.D. 2, H.D. 2, C.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the managers:

ON THE PART OF THE HOUSE

ON THE PART OF THE SENATE

____________________________ RIDA T.R. CABANILLA, Co-Chair		____________________________ SUZANNE CHUN OAKLAND, Chair
____________________________ DEREK S.K. KAWAKAMI, Co-Chair