STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1281

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: H.B. No. 224

H.D. 2

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2023

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Housing and Health and Human Services, to which was referred H.B. No. 224, H.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HUMAN SERVICES,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Establish a two-year Public Housing Tenant Upward Mobility Pilot Program to provide public housing tenants with part-time, on-the-job paid training and work experience to fulfill minimum qualifications needed for future part-time and full-time employment; and

(2) Appropriate an unspecified amount of funds for the implementation of the pilot program.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaii Public Housing Authority and five individuals. Your Committees received comments on this measure from one individual.

Your Committees find that some public housing tenants lack adequate training or work experience needed to find gainful employment. By empowering public housing tenants to learn valuable skills and earn higher incomes, these residents may eventually be able to leave public housing and break cycles of poverty.

Your Committees further find that the Hawaii Public Housing Authority, recently received "Moving to Work" designation from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, which allows public housing authorities some flexibility with federal funds to design and test innovative ways to address local housing needs in communities across the country. According to testimony received by your Committees, the Hawaii Public Housing Authority believes that this general funded pilot program can lead the way for a future expansion enabled by federal funding to further implement upward mobility workforce development programs for public housing tenants.

Your Committees have amended this measure by:

(1) Requiring the Hawaii Public Housing Authority to submit an interim and final report to the Legislature concerning the pilot program;

(2) Re-inserting the original appropriation amount of $500,000; and

(3) Inserting an effective date of July 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Housing and Health and Human Services that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 224, H.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 224, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Housing and Health and Human Services,

________________________________ JOY A. SAN BUENAVENTURA, Chair

________________________________ STANLEY CHANG, Chair