STAND. COM. REP. NO. 519

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 398

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2019

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Human Services and Government Operations, to which was referred S.B. No. 398 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HOMELESSNESS,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to require the Department of Human Services to establish and implement a training program on government procurement and other relevant procedures for nonprofit organizations that offer homeless outreach services or manage homeless housing programs in rural areas of the State.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Human Services, State Procurement Office, O‘ahu County Committee on Legislative Priorities of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i, and one individual. Your Committees received comments on this measure from the Hawaii Youth Services Network.

Your Committees find that in order for nonprofit organizations to effectively work in concert with state and county governments, these organizations require a clear understanding of the state procurement system, including the proposal and bid processes, to most effectively offer homeless outreach services or manage homeless housing programs. Your Committees further find that while these types of programs are robust in urban areas, homeless outreach services and homeless housing programs are lacking in rural areas of the State. This measure therefore establishes a program to provide training on government procurement in rural areas of the State. This outreach and education is vital to effectively meeting the needs of rural areas of the State.

Your Committees also take seriously the recommendation from the Hawaii Youth, regarding the desire to broaden the range of organizations providing services to the homeless that are eligible to participate in the training established by this measure.

Your Committees have amended this measure by:

(1) Clarifying that the Department of Human Services shall work in partnership with the State Procurement Office to establish the training program;

(2) Changing the appropriation from $250,000 to $270,000, to be expended by the State Procurement Office; and

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

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Human Services and Government Operations that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 398, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 398, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Human Services and Government Operations,

________________________________ LAURA H. THIELEN, Chair

________________________________ RUSSELL E. RUDERMAN, Chair