Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2005

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Housing, to which was referred S.B. No. 797, S.D. 1, entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to make various housekeeping amendments to laws relating to the Housing and Community Development Corporation of Hawaii (HCDCH).

HCDCH testified in support of this bill.

Your Committee finds that when the Hawaii Housing Authority (HHA) and the Housing Finance Development Corporation (HFDC) were consolidated into HCDCH, the carryover of common terminology used in different contexts created ambiguity in the law. For instance, the term "housing project" had two different meanings. In the context of public housing, "housing project" meant state or federal low-rent public housing projects owned or operated by HHA. In the context of affordable housing, the term "housing project" had a broader meaning and included projects sponsored or assisted by the HFDC such as the Villages of Kapolei, a master-planned community comprising for-sale and rental housing, as well as public facilities and commercial areas. As a result of this ambiguity in the law, the City and County of Honolulu has not enforced traffic laws in the Villages of Kapolei.

This measure clarifies the law by adding a new general definition of "public housing project" or "complex", and makes conforming amendments to relevant sections of chapter 201G, Hawaii Revised Statutes (HRS), which relate specifically to public housing such as section 201G-100, HRS. Additionally, this measure corrects inconsistencies in the requirements governing the sale of housing units, including public housing units.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Housing that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 797, S.D. 1, and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Finance.