(Via Hawaii News Now)
he Honolulu City Council Zoning and Planning Committee has scheduled a special meeting Monday at 9 a.m. at Honolulu Hale to hear public testimony on five proposed bills that seek to expand or amend the language of the City’s sit-lie law that impacts Oahu’s homeless populations on public sidewalks.
Bill 43 would essentially amend existing sit-lie measures to include more legally sound language but removes the portion along Kapalama Canal from King to Olomea Streets.
Bill 44 would expand the sit-lie law to all hours at specific public mall areas downtown and in Chinatown making it illegal Sunday through Saturday at College Walk, Kila Kalikimaka Mall and Union Mall. Fort Street, Sun Yat Sen and Kekaulike are included during the hours of 5 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Bill 46 would make it illegal to put up tents near city-owned streams and enbankments, like Kapalama Canal, where doing so could create a public health or safety risk.
Bills 47 and 48 would both change the wording of the sit-lie measure to include “immediately abutting” zones and streets and “sidewalks on both sides of streets.” Bill 47 does NOT include Kapalama Canal areas, while Bill 48 does and also includes portions of McCully, Moiliili and the Aala.
For more information on how you can testify, click on the City Council Agenda link below. More complete details of each bill can also be found by clicking on the appropriate Bill links within the City Council Agenda.
Councilmember Joey Manahan 