Bill Text: HI HCR210 | 2018 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requesting The Department Of Labor And Industrial Relations To Convene An Interagency Enforcement Task Force To Combat Illegal Activities Related To The Construction And Operations Of "monster Homes" In The State.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2018-03-13 - Referred to WAL, FIN, referral sheet 39 [HCR210 Detail]
Download: Hawaii-2018-HCR210-Introduced.html
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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES |
H.C.R. NO. |
210 |
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TWENTY-NINTH LEGISLATURE, 2018 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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HOUSE CONCURRENT
RESOLUTION
REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR AND INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS TO CONVENE AN INTERAGENCY ENFORCEMENT TASK FORCE TO COMBAT ILLEGAL ACTIVITIES RELATED TO THE CONSTRUCTION AND OPERATIONS OF "MONSTER HOMES" IN THE STATE.
WHEREAS, Hawaii neighborhoods have seen an increase in the number of structures commonly referred to as "monster homes," or large-scale homes that are designed to house several families but are situated on property zoned for single-family residential use; and
WHEREAS, these monster homes are very large, multi-level residential structures, with some homes reported to have as many as 17 to 25 bedrooms; and
WHEREAS, these monster homes are homes built to the limits of lot lines and to the maximum permissible height; and
WHEREAS, the construction of monster homes in single-family neighborhoods have raised concerns, including whether monster homes are in violation of permitting and zoning laws and whether the owners of these homes have appropriate certificates of occupancy or have modified their structures to create illegal units; and
WHEREAS, residents of neighborhoods that have monster homes note an increase in noise and traffic, limited or no public parking, a strain on the existing community and surrounding infrastructure, greater density in the neighborhood, and erosion of the neighborhood character; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-ninth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2018, the Senate concurring, that the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations is requested to convene an interagency enforcement task force, within the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations for administrative purposes, to combat illegal activities related to the construction and operations of monster homes in the State; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the interagency
enforcement task force is requested to assume the following functions as they
relate to combatting illegal activities related to the construction and
operations of monster homes in the State:
(1)
Serve
as the State's interagency advisory and enforcement entity, with representation
from state and county government departments and agencies, to combat
illegal activities related to the construction and operations of monster homes;
(2)
Facilitate
timely information-sharing among task force members, including through
protocols by which participating departments and agencies advise or refer
matters of potential investigative interest to other departments and agencies;
(3)
Identify
illegal activities related to the construction and
operations of monster homes;
(4)
Coordinate
task force members' investigative and enforcement resources against violators
on multiple fronts, including through the formation of interagency
investigative and enforcement teams;
(5)
Assess
existing investigative and enforcement methods in Hawaii and in other
jurisdictions and develop and recommend strategies to improve those methods;
(6)
Encourage
neighborhood boards, community associations, businesses, and individuals to
identify violators by soliciting information from the public, facilitating the
filing of complaints, and enhancing available mechanisms by which communities
and individuals can report suspected violations;
(7)
Solicit
the cooperation and participation of prosecutorial agencies at the federal,
state, and county levels and other relevant federal, state, and county law enforcement
departments and agencies;
(8)
Establish
procedures for referring cases to prosecuting authorities as appropriate;
(9)
Work
collaboratively with labor, neighborhood boards, community associations,
businesses, and individuals to address illegal
activities related to the construction and operations of monster homes by, among other means,
disseminating educational materials regarding the applicable laws and
increasing public awareness of the harm caused to communities by illegal
operations;
(10) Work collaboratively with
federal, state, and local social services agencies to provide assistance to
vulnerable populations that have been exploited by the illegal construction and
operations of monster homes, including immigrant workers;
(11) Identify potential
regulatory or statutory changes that would strengthen enforcement efforts,
including changes needed to resolve existing legal ambiguities or
inconsistencies, as well as potential legal procedures for facilitating
individual enforcement efforts;
(12) Consult with representatives
of labor, neighborhood boards, community associations, and businesses; members
of the Legislature; representatives of the City and
County of Honolulu and Counties of Hawaii, Kauai, and Maui; community groups;
and other state and county departments and agencies regarding the activities of
the task force and its members on ways of improving the effectiveness of the
task force, including consideration of whether to establish an advisory panel within
a state department;
(13) Submit an annual report no
later than twenty days before the convening of each regular session to the
Legislature, Governor, Mayor and Council Chair of the City and County of
Honolulu, and Mayors and Council Chairs of the Counties of Hawaii, Kauai, and
Maui summarizing the task force's activities during the preceding year; and
(14) Take appropriate steps to
publicize its activities and actions; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force is
requested to include the following in its annual report:
(1) A description of the task force's efforts and accomplishments during the year;
(2) Identification of any administrative or legal barriers that impede the more effective operation of the task force, including barriers to information-sharing or joint action;
(3) Proposals, after consultation with representatives of labor, neighborhood boards, community associations, and businesses; members of the Legislature; representatives of the City and County of Honolulu and the Counties of Hawaii, Kauai, and Maui; community groups; and other state and county agencies, of appropriate administrative, legislative, or regulatory changes to strengthen the operations and enforcement efforts of the task force and reduce or eliminate any barriers to those efforts; and
(4) Identification of successful preventive mechanisms for addressing the problem of illegal activities related to the construction and operations of monster homes; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that every department
and agency within the State's Executive Branch and the Executive Branches of
the City and County of Honolulu and the Counties of Hawaii, Kauai, and Maui is
requested to work collaboratively with the task force and make all reasonable
efforts to:
(1) Stop contractors and subcontractors who are in violation of permitting, licensing, workers' compensation, unemployment insurance, prepaid health insurance, and other labor and licensing laws from working on a construction project to ensure that the health, well-being, and safety of all workers on the project are protected;
(2) Develop and implement policies, rules, and
laws that allow state and county departments and agencies to halt the work, as
soon as legally possible, of contractors and subcontractors who are in
violation of permitting, licensing, and labor laws; and
(3) Furnish information and assistance as the task
force reasonably deems necessary to accomplish the purposes of the task force;
and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the interagency
enforcement task force may hold meetings that are closed to the public pursuant
to section 92-5, Hawaii Revised Statutes; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Governor; Mayor of the City and County of Honolulu; Mayors of the Counties of Hawaii, Kauai, and Maui; and Director of Labor and Industrial Relations.
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OFFERED BY: |
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Interagency Enforcement Task Force; Monster Homes; DLIR
