Bill > HB877

This bill establishes a "buffer zone" around pre-K-12 public and private schools where encampments (defined as tents, makeshift shelters, or temporary habitation structures) are prohibited within 100 feet of a school's property line. The legislation makes erecting or maintaining such encampments in these buffer zones a petty misdemeanor, while allowing law enforcement to charge additional violations like trespassing. The bill requires law enforcement personnel who remove individuals from these encampments to provide information about temporary housing and homelessness assistance programs and mandates that they collect and store the personal belongings of displaced individuals, which can be retrieved later. The legislature's rationale for the bill emphasizes protecting student and staff safety, preventing environmental hazards, maintaining public access, and addressing community safety concerns. The bill is set to take effect on July 1, 3000, and allows schools to collaborate with law enforcement in identifying and removing encampments within the designated buffer zones.

Education, Housing and Urban Affairs

https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=HB&billnumber=877&year=2026