CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REP. NO.234-06

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2006

RE: H.B. No. 2176

H.D. 2

S.D. 2

C.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2006

State of Hawaii

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2006

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Conference on the disagreeing vote of the House of Representatives to the amendments proposed by the Senate in H.B. No. 2176, H.D. 2, S.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HOUSING,"

having met, and after full and free discussion, has agreed to recommend and does recommend to the respective Houses the final passage of this bill in an amended form.

The purpose of this bill is to alleviate the burden of Hawaii's affordable housing and homeless crisis by:

(1) Expanding the use of the State Rent Supplement Program (Program) by authorizing the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Administration (HHFDA) to use Program funds for project-based operating subsidies for state low-income housing units transferred to private organizations to operate and manage the units;

(2) Increasing the conveyance tax allocation to the Rental Housing Trust Fund (RHTF) from 30 to 65 percent;

(3) Promoting the development of self-help housing by allowing HHFDA to lease parcels of land for $1 per year for up to 50 years;

(4) Requiring HHFDA to identify public lands suitable for affordable residential development no later than September 1, 2006, and requiring the state agency having control of those lands to initiate transfer of the lands to HHFDA no later than December 1, 2006;

(5) Appropriating $20,000,000 for grants-in-aid for homeless services and transitional housing programs;

(6) Appropriating $10,000,000 to repair and modernize vacant units in federal and state public housing projects; and

(7) Appropriating $400,000 for interim construction loans for up to ten homes to be developed as self-help ownership homes.

Your Committee on Conference worked toward passing this measure in conjunction with S.B. No. 2958, to provide meaningful relief for Hawaii's residents struggling with skyrocketing home prices and homelessness. Some of the provisions that were in earlier versions of this measure may have been inserted into S.B. No. 2958.

Your Committee on Conference notes that an additional $5,000,000 would have been awarded through grants-in-aid, but recognizes that a number of worthy nonprofit organizations did not submit requests for grants-in-aid, including the Institute for Human Services, Steadfast Housing, Gregory House, and Housing Solutions, Inc. Your Committee on Conference urges the Hawaii Public Housing Authority to consider such organizations for funding with the $5,000,000 allocated to them for homeless and transitional housing and homeless services.

Accordingly, your Committee on Conference has amended this bill by:

(1) Inserting provisions allowing the State and counties to partner with nonprofit organizations to develop temporary emergency shelters;

(2) Appropriating the following sums as grants-in-aid to the following organizations to provide various homeless services:

(a) $3,200,000 to the counties;

(b) $500,000 to Hawaii Helping the Hungry Have Hope;

(c) $690,000 to Kauai Economic Opportunity, Inc.;

(d) $2,100,000 to Ohana Ola O Kahumana;

(e) $599,161 to the Ohana Family of the Living God;

(f) $434,420 to the Victory Ohana Prison Fellowship;

(g) $180,000 to Catholic Charities;

(h) $2,000,000 to Child and Family Service;

(i) $5,000,000 to the Hawaii Coalition of Christian Churches;

(j) $50,000 to the Street Beat, Inc.;

(k) $80,000 to the County of Hawaii Department of Parks and Recreation; and

(l) $5,000,000 to renovate homeless shelters and transitional housing and provide homeless services;

(3) Changing the conveyance tax allocation to the Rental Housing Trust Fund (RHTF) to 50 percent;

(4) Appropriating the following sums as grants-in-aid to the following organizations for various low-income housing programs and services:

(a) $700,000 to the Hawaii Habitat for Humanity Association;

(b) $350,000 to the Nanakuli Housing Corporation;

(c) $225,000 to the Hawaii Homeownership Center; and

(d) $490,000 to Lokahi Pacific;

(5) Appropriating $1,500,000 for land acquisition of the Kulana Nani property in Kaneohe, Oahu; and

(6) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for clarity, consistency, and style.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the managers of your Committee on Conference that is attached to this report, your Committee on Conference is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2176, H.D. 2, S.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Final Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2176, H.D. 2, S.D. 2, C.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the managers:

ON THE PART OF THE SENATE

ON THE PART OF THE HOUSE

____________________________

RON MENOR, Chair

____________________________

MICHAEL P. KAHIKINA, Co-Chair

____________________________

BRIAN T. TANIGUCHI, Co-Chair

____________________________

SCOTT NISHIMOTO, Co-Chair