Requires the office of planning to identify available private lands for acquisition and development for affordable housing. Requires the legislative reference bureau to study and assess private government-subsidized housing and prepare a plan to retain these projects as affordable housing. Appropriates funds for the purposes of the Act.

A BILL FOR AN ACT

SECTION 1. The senate and house of representatives of the twenty-third legislature of the State of Hawaii, regular session of 2005, enacted Act 196, Relating to Housing, and section 35 of that act established the joint legislative housing and homeless task force to further identify near-term solutions to Hawaii's affordable housing and homeless problem. The task force issued its report with findings and recommendations in January 2006. The task force recommended in general that the State: (1) leverage more sources of financing for affordable housing; (2) make available more public land for the development of affordable housing; (3) streamline government approvals and permitting of affordable housing projects; (4) build more offsite infrastructure to serve affordable housing; (5) appropriate additional funds for transitional housing, shelters, and services for the homeless population; and (6) preserve and maintain the existing public housing stock.

The specific recommendations of the task force for studies relating to affordable housing include: (1) authorizing a study identifying available land from the large estates that are divesting their holdings, or lands previously used for sugar and pineapple plantations, that could be developed for affordable housing, and examining the feasibility of having the State acquire those lands for affordable housing development through a land bank or land trust; and (2) directing the legislative reference bureau to: (a) study and assess the government-subsidized affordable housing projects currently in private ownership that are eligible to convert to market-priced housing over the next five years, and (b) prepare a plan on the measures and incentives that can be implemented, together with cost estimates, to retain these projects as affordable housing.

The purpose of this Act is to implement the recommendations of the task force with regard to identifying available land for affordable housing and preparing a plan for retaining subsidized affordable units eligible for conversion to market-priced housing.

SECTION 2. The office of planning shall identify available land from the large estates that could be developed for affordable housing, and examine the feasibility of state acquisition of those lands for affordable housing development through a land bank or land trust. The office shall report its findings and recommendations to the legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the regular session of 2007.

SECTION 3. The legislative reference bureau shall: (1) study and assess the government-subsidized affordable housing projects currently in private ownership that are eligible to convert to market-priced housing over the next five years, and (2) prepare a plan on the measures and incentives that can be implemented, together with cost estimates, to retain these projects as affordable housing. The bureau shall report its findings and recommendations to the legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the regular session of 2007.

SECTION 4. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $50,000, or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2006-2007, for the purposes of section 2 of this Act.

The sum appropriated shall be expended by the department of business, economic development and tourism.

SECTION 5. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2006.