Sen. Chris Lee

Part I: Establishes a three-year Homeless Employment Pilot Program that provides homeless individuals with work opportunities and connects them with service providers. Requires the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations to submit a report to the Legislature prior to the 2018 Regular Session on implementing the program. Appropriates funds to establish the pilot program. Part II: Requires the auditor to conduct a study to assess the impact of using medicaid funds to provide coverage for the treatment for homelessness. Requires the auditor to submit a report to the legislature. Makes an appropriation. Part III: Requires the department of human services, in collaboration with the department of health, to review the progress of the Hawaii pathways project pilot and continue to pursue efforts to utilize medicaid to provide supportive housing services for chronically homeless individuals. Provides considerations for the department in planning for the expansion of supportive housing services provided through medicaid managed care plans. Requires the department to report to the legislature. Makes an appropriation. Takes effect 7/1/2075. (SD1)

Authorizes the issuance of special purpose revenue bonds to the Board of Water Supply to upgrade Nuuanu reservoir #1 to meet state dam safety standards, as a component of the Nuuanu hydroelectricity project. Effective 1/28/2081. (SD1)

Requires the department of agriculture, in consultation with the department of health, to create and maintain a list of plants and landscaping-related structures or equipment that are known to be preferred habitats for mosquito breeding and prohibits use of these elements in public landscaping. Exempts routinely maintained botanical gardens. Effective 7/1/2050. (SD1)

Authorizes the issuance of special purpose revenue bonds to the Board of Water Supply to upgrade Nuuanu reservoir #4 to meet state dam safety standards, as a component of the Nuuanu hydroelectricity project. Effective 1/28/2081. (SD1)

Requires the Board of Directors of the Employees' Retirement System to conduct a study into the viability of exempting from income tax and general excise tax an amount up to an unspecified percentage of the costs of the construction and operation of projects entered into under a public-private partnership with the ERS to improve water infrastructure or water supply, or to promote clean energy and the viability of allowing ERS investments in such public-private partnerships. Appropriates funds. (SD1)

Requires the department of agriculture to establish a two-year agricultural theft and vandalism pilot project to examine the effectiveness of prosecuting agricultural theft and agricultural vandalism in the county of Hawaii. Appropriates funds. (SD1)

Authorizes the establishment of a NELHA microgrid demonstration project for the generation, storage, and distribution of renewable energy on property controlled by NELHA. (HB1248 HD2)

Requires the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism to convene a working group to develop standards for reporting energy consumption to facilitate comparisons of energy consumption and costs by consumers and homebuyers. (HB1249 HD3)

Adds increasing the production of food intended for human consumption that is produced and sold in the State to the list of acts that the Department of Agriculture must undertake as part of its statutorily-established responsibility of administering a program of agricultural planning and development. (SD1)