STAND. COM. REP. NO. 46

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2019

RE: H.B. No. 649

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2019

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Housing, to which was referred H.B. No. 649 entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to improve teacher recruitment and retention by establishing a teacher home assistance program that provides housing vouchers to full-time department of education and charter school teachers who teach in hard-to-fill schools and meet certain income requirements.

The Hawaii State Teachers Association, Democratic Party of Hawai‘i Education Caucus, O‘ahu County Committee on Legislative Priorities of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i, and two individuals submitted testimony in support of this measure. The Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation submitted testimony in opposition to this measure. The Department of Education submitted comments on this measure.

Your Committee notes the concern of one of its members that if a housing voucher is renewable for one additional year without verification, a housing voucher could be used by a former teacher, rather than a current teacher.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Amending the maximum, single-year amount for a housing voucher to be an unspecified amount;

(2) Changing its effective date to January 1, 2050, to promote further discussion; and

(3) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for clarity, consistency, and style.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Housing that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 649, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 649, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Lower & Higher Education.

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

____________________________

TOM BROWER, Chair