HB 1337 Summary

• Establishes a homelessness fund within the Department of Human Services to receive net proceeds from homeless facilities, a percentage of conveyance tax revenues under Chapter 247, and other public or private contributions.

• Increases conveyance tax rates on real property transfers by 5 cents per $100 across all value brackets, with revenue directed to the homelessness fund to support homeless facilities, shelters, and programs.

• Creates community shelter commissions in each county composed of state, federal, county, clergy, real estate, social services, and business representatives with exclusive authority to select public property for homeless facilities.

• Establishes a civil rights board within the Department of Health with nine members having backgrounds in homelessness, mental health, substance abuse, or related fields, with authority to request emergency examinations and order law enforcement action for individuals posing public health or safety dangers.

• Creates a state comprehensive employment and training program administered by the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations to provide subsidized public service employment and loans to employers for training and permanently hiring unemployed persons, including homeless individuals.

• Requires the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation to survey state-owned vacant housing units suitable for affordable rental housing and report findings to the legislature by January 2021.

• Requires the Department of Human Services to convene a homeless summit before December 1, 2019, and appropriates unspecified funds for fiscal years 2019-2020 and 2020-2021.