Bill Text: HI SCR62 | 2019 | Regular Session | Introduced

Hawaii Senate Concurrent Resolution 62 (Prior Session Legislation)

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Bill Title: Urging The Governor's Coordinator On Homelessness And The City And County Of Honolulu To Collaborate And Prioritize Their Homelessness Efforts In The Area Surrounding The Hawaii Children's Discovery Center By Convening A Task Force.

Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 8-1)

Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2019-04-15 - Report adopted; referred to the committee(s) on FIN with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Eli, Gates, Holt, Nakamura excused (4). [SCR62 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2019-SCR62-Introduced.html

THE SENATE	S.C.R. NO.	62
THIRTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2019
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

URging the Governor's coordinator on homelessness and the city and county of honolulu TO COME TOGETHER AND prioritize their homelessness efforts in the area surrounding the Hawai�i children's discovery center BY CONVENING A TASK FORCE.

WHEREAS, the Hawai�i Children's Discovery Center is an educational facility where children and parents can learn by using their senses to explore, discover, imagine, and dream; and

WHEREAS, the Hawai�i Children's Discovery Center, the first and only children's museum in the State, is located in downtown Honolulu and offers both indoor and outdoor educational programming for children; and

WHEREAS, the Hawai�i Children's Discovery Center is also a major tourist attraction for many families visiting Hawai�i; and

WHEREAS, learning while playing is a key to childhood development, and the Hawai�i Children's Discovery Center allows its patrons to do so in a unique facility with four major galleries, each filled with hands-on, interactive exhibits; and

WHEREAS, the Hawai�i Children's Discovery Center staff continues to work diligently to continue offering its programs, but must do so under unfavorable circumstances; and

WHEREAS, the Hawai�i Children's Discovery Center, parents, and members of the community have raised concerns about the impact of the homeless encampments in the surrounding area; and

WHEREAS, health and safety concerns have been brought up about the outside and parking lot areas of the Hawai�i Children's Discovery Center, which are often unsanitary and require excessive maintenance; and

WHEREAS, the impact of the homeless encampments have included reports of violence, drug dealing, crime, and other illicit behavior that pose a safety concern for the children and families that enter and leave the Center every day; and

WHEREAS, although the Hawai�i Children's Discovery Center staff have operated over the years with empathy and a sense of aloha for individuals experiencing homelessness, the homeless encampments have become so detrimental to the Center and its patrons that it may force them to close down; and

WHEREAS, although different community groups, including one comprised of homeless individuals who reside in the area, have attempted to move the homeless encampments away from the Hawai�i Children's Discovery Center, the homeless encampments still persist near and around the Center; and

WHEREAS, although steps have been taken to address the issue, there has not been a unified approach, resulting in delayed progress, miscommunication, and tension among all parties involved; and

WHEREAS, the Hawai�i Children's Discovery Center and various community groups have expressed their willingness to work together to address homeless issues; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirtieth Legislature of the State of Hawai�i, Regular Session of 2019, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Governor's Coordinator on Homelessness and the City and County of Honolulu are urged to come together and prioritize their homelessness efforts in the area surrounding the Hawai�i Children's Discovery Center by convening a task force; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Governor's Coordinator on Homelessness is requested to convene a task force consisting of the Director of Public Safety, a member of the House of Representatives, a member of the Senate, a member of the Honolulu City Council, Executive Director of the Mayor's Office of Housing, Chief of Police of the Honolulu Police Department, Chair of the Board of Directors of the Hawai�i Children's Discovery Center, and representatives of vested community partners to work together to develop strategies and a plan that will assist individuals and families facing homelessness around the Hawai�i Children's Discovery Center and outline the tasks and responsibilities of each stakeholder; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force will develop strategies and a plan that will protect the Hawai�i Children's Discovery Center and surrounding areas by preventing unsanitary conditions, littering, vandalism, property damage, trespassing, unlawful entry, and other criminal or illicit activity; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Governor's Coordinator on Homelessness shall act as the Chairperson of the task force and shall submit a report of its findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2020; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Hawai�i, Governor's Coordinator on Homelessness, Director of Public Safety, Mayor of the City and County of Honolulu, Executive Director of the Mayor's Office of Housing, Chief of Police of the Honolulu Police Department, and Chair of the Board of Directors and President of the Hawai�i Children's Discovery Center.