Hawaii 2024 Regular Session

Hawaii Senate Bill SB2987 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	THE SENATE S.B. NO. 2987 THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2024 STATE OF HAWAII A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO TEACHER HOUSING. BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:
2	2
3	3	THE SENATE S.B. NO. 2987
4	4	THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2024
5	5	STATE OF HAWAII
6	6
7	7	THE SENATE
8	8
9	9	S.B. NO.
10	10
11	11	2987
12	12
13	13	THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2024
14	14
15	15
16	16
17	17	STATE OF HAWAII
18	18
19	19
20	20
21	21
22	22
23	23
24	24
25	25
26	26
27	27
28	28
29	29
30	30
31	31	A BILL FOR AN ACT
32	32
33	33
34	34
35	35
36	36
37	37	RELATING TO TEACHER HOUSING.
38	38
39	39
40	40
41	41
42	42
43	43	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:
44	44
45	45
46	46
47	47	SECTION 1. The legislature finds that approximately ten per cent of the State's teachers switch schools, relocate, or leave the profession each year. Only fifty to sixty per cent of current teachers have been at their school for five years or more. Chronic teacher turnover forces the department of education to rely on emergency hires and substitute teachers to fill vacancies. The legislature further finds that teacher recruitment and retention is especially difficult at hard-to-staff schools. The legislature additionally finds that Hawaii's high cost of living is a significant contributing factor in the department's teacher recruitment and retention efforts. According to a WalletHub study, Hawaii ranked fifty-first out of fifty states and the District of Columbia for starting teacher salary and median teacher salary, adjusted for cost of living. The purpose of this Act is to alleviate the financial burden on teachers and improve teacher recruitment and retention by establishing a teacher housing assistance program to provide housing vouchers to qualified full-time teachers who are employed by the department of education and teach at a hard‑to‑fill school, as determined by the department, including public charter schools. SECTION 2. Chapter 201H, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new section to part II to be appropriately designated and to read as follows: "§201H- Teacher housing assistance program. (a) There is established a teacher housing assistance program to be administered by the corporation to provide housing vouchers to eligible teachers. If the number of applications exceeds the number of available housing vouchers, housing vouchers shall be provided to eligible teachers through a lottery process. (b) A housing voucher provided under this section shall be used for: (1) Rent for the eligible teacher's primary residence; (2) Mortgage payments for the eligible teacher's primary residence; or (3) Down payment on residential real property; provided that the property shall be the eligible teacher's primary residence. (c) A housing voucher shall not exceed $500 per month or the eligible teacher's monthly rent or mortgage payment, whichever is less. A housing voucher granted pursuant to this section shall be applicable for one year. The voucher shall be renewable for one additional year. (d) Upon the establishment of the teacher home assistance program, the corporation shall develop an application procedure and processes, procedures, and forms necessary to implement and maintain the program. The corporation shall also work with the department of education and state public charter school commission to develop a process to verify that a housing voucher applicant satisfies the criteria listed in subsection (f). (e) The corporation may adopt rules pursuant to chapter 91 to effectuate the purpose of this section. (f) For the purposes of this section, an "eligible teacher" means a person who: (1) Is a full-time teacher; (2) Has taught at a school in Hawaii for at least one year prior to the application date; (3) Is employed by the department of education; (4) Commits to teach at a hard-to-fill school, including a public charter school, as determined by the department of education, for no less than five consecutive years; (5) Resides in this State; (6) Does not own, operate, rent, or control any residential real property in addition to the eligible teacher's primary residence for which the housing voucher is sought; and (7) Has a household income below per cent of the state median income." SECTION 3. In accordance with section 9 of article VII, of the Constitution of the State of Hawaii and sections 37-91 and 37-93, Hawaii Revised Statutes, the legislature has determined that the appropriation contained in this Act will cause the state general fund expenditure ceiling for fiscal year 2024-2025 to be exceeded by $ , or per cent. The reasons for exceeding the general fund expenditure ceiling are that the appropriation made in this Act is necessary to serve the public interest and to meet the need provided for by this Act. SECTION 4. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $ or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2024-2025 for the provision of housing vouchers through the teacher home assistance program established by this Act. The sum appropriated shall be expended by the Hawaii housing finance and development corporation for the purposes of this Act. SECTION 5. New statutory material is underscored. SECTION 6. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2024. INTRODUCED BY: _____________________________
48	48
49	49	SECTION 1. The legislature finds that approximately ten per cent of the State's teachers switch schools, relocate, or leave the profession each year. Only fifty to sixty per cent of current teachers have been at their school for five years or more. Chronic teacher turnover forces the department of education to rely on emergency hires and substitute teachers to fill vacancies.
50	50
51	51	The legislature further finds that teacher recruitment and retention is especially difficult at hard-to-staff schools.
52	52
53	53	The legislature additionally finds that Hawaii's high cost of living is a significant contributing factor in the department's teacher recruitment and retention efforts. According to a WalletHub study, Hawaii ranked fifty-first out of fifty states and the District of Columbia for starting teacher salary and median teacher salary, adjusted for cost of living.
54	54
55	55	The purpose of this Act is to alleviate the financial burden on teachers and improve teacher recruitment and retention by establishing a teacher housing assistance program to provide housing vouchers to qualified full-time teachers who are employed by the department of education and teach at a hard‑to‑fill school, as determined by the department, including public charter schools.
56	56
57	57	SECTION 2. Chapter 201H, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new section to part II to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:
58	58
59	59	"§201H- Teacher housing assistance program. (a) There is established a teacher housing assistance program to be administered by the corporation to provide housing vouchers to eligible teachers. If the number of applications exceeds the number of available housing vouchers, housing vouchers shall be provided to eligible teachers through a lottery process.
60	60
61	61	(b) A housing voucher provided under this section shall be used for:
62	62
63	63	(1) Rent for the eligible teacher's primary residence;
64	64
65	65	(2) Mortgage payments for the eligible teacher's primary residence; or
66	66
67	67	(3) Down payment on residential real property; provided that the property shall be the eligible teacher's primary residence.
68	68
69	69	(c) A housing voucher shall not exceed $500 per month or the eligible teacher's monthly rent or mortgage payment, whichever is less. A housing voucher granted pursuant to this section shall be applicable for one year. The voucher shall be renewable for one additional year.
70	70
71	71	(d) Upon the establishment of the teacher home assistance program, the corporation shall develop an application procedure and processes, procedures, and forms necessary to implement and maintain the program. The corporation shall also work with the department of education and state public charter school commission to develop a process to verify that a housing voucher applicant satisfies the criteria listed in subsection (f).
72	72
73	73	(e) The corporation may adopt rules pursuant to chapter 91 to effectuate the purpose of this section.
74	74
75	75	(f) For the purposes of this section, an "eligible teacher" means a person who:
76	76
77	77	(1) Is a full-time teacher;
78	78
79	79	(2) Has taught at a school in Hawaii for at least one year prior to the application date;
80	80
81	81	(3) Is employed by the department of education;
82	82
83	83	(4) Commits to teach at a hard-to-fill school, including a public charter school, as determined by the department of education, for no less than five consecutive years;
84	84
85	85	(5) Resides in this State;
86	86
87	87	(6) Does not own, operate, rent, or control any residential real property in addition to the eligible teacher's primary residence for which the housing voucher is sought; and
88	88
89	89	(7) Has a household income below per cent of the state median income."
90	90
91	91	SECTION 3. In accordance with section 9 of article VII, of the Constitution of the State of Hawaii and sections 37-91 and 37-93, Hawaii Revised Statutes, the legislature has determined that the appropriation contained in this Act will cause the state general fund expenditure ceiling for fiscal year 2024-2025 to be exceeded by $ , or per cent. The reasons for exceeding the general fund expenditure ceiling are that the appropriation made in this Act is necessary to serve the public interest and to meet the need provided for by this Act.
92	92
93	93	SECTION 4. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $ or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2024-2025 for the provision of housing vouchers through the teacher home assistance program established by this Act.
94	94
95	95	The sum appropriated shall be expended by the Hawaii housing finance and development corporation for the purposes of this Act.
96	96
97	97	SECTION 5. New statutory material is underscored.
98	98
99	99	SECTION 6. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2024.
100	100
101	101
102	102
103	103	INTRODUCED BY: _____________________________
104	104
105	105	INTRODUCED BY:
106	106
107	107	_____________________________
108	108
109	109
110	110
111	111
112	112
113	113	Report Title: Teacher Home Assistance Program; Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation; Teacher Recruitment and Retention; General Fund Expenditure Ceiling Exceeded Description: Establishes the Teacher Home Assistance Program to be administered by the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation to provide housing vouchers to certain teachers who are employed by the Department of Education and commit to teach at hard-to-fill schools and charter schools for no less than 5 years. Appropriates moneys. Declares that the appropriation exceeds the state general fund expenditure ceiling for 2024‑2025. The summary description of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.
114	114
115	115
116	116
117	117
118	118
119	119
120	120
121	121
122	122
123	123
124	124
125	125
126	126
127	127	Report Title:
128	128
129	129	Teacher Home Assistance Program; Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation; Teacher Recruitment and Retention; General Fund Expenditure Ceiling Exceeded
130	130
131	131
132	132
133	133	Description:
134	134
135	135	Establishes the Teacher Home Assistance Program to be administered by the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation to provide housing vouchers to certain teachers who are employed by the Department of Education and commit to teach at hard-to-fill schools and charter schools for no less than 5 years. Appropriates moneys. Declares that the appropriation exceeds the state general fund expenditure ceiling for 2024‑2025.
136	136
137	137
138	138
139	139
140	140
141	141
142	142
143	143	The summary description of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.