STAND. COM. REP. 203
Honolulu, Hawaii
, 2003
RE: H.B. No. 1636
Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say
Speaker, House of Representatives
Twenty-Second State Legislature
Regular Session of 2003
State of Hawaii
Sir:
Your Committee on Human Services and Housing, to which was referred H.B. No. 1636 entitled:
"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HAWAIIAN HOUSING FINANCE CORPORATION,"
begs leave to report as follows:
The purpose of this bill is to establish the Hawaiian Housing Finance Corporation whose purpose is to remedy the acute housing shortage for people of Hawaiian ancestry by, among other things:
(1) Cooperating with the federal government to secure available federal funds for housing;
(2) Operating and managing affordable housing projects; and
(3) Administering neighborhood development projects.
The Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) supported this measure. The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands submitted comments.
OHA testified that there are approximately 17,000 individuals waiting for housing on Hawaiian home lands. It is your Committee's intent to provide equal housing opportunities to Hawaiians in an efficient and affordable manner.
Your Committee respectfully requests the Committee on Judiciary to further the discussion and to review the legal relationships between the different agencies involved, as well as the legal aspects of this measure, including:
(1) The legal intent of the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act, as amended, to rehabilitate native Hawaiians;
(2) The State's responsibility as defined in section 4 of the Admission Act;
(3) Sections 1, 2, 3, and 4 of Article XII of the State Constitution;
(4) The self-determination intent of the Native American Housing and Self-Determination Act administered through the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands; and
(5) The empowerment of the beneficiaries of this measure to end federal and State wardship.
As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Human Services and Housing that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1636 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Judiciary.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Human Services and Housing,
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____________________________ MICHAEL PUAMAMO KAHIKINA, Chair |