STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1443

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2007

RE:   S.B. No. 1917

      S.D. 3

      H.D. 1

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committees on Human Services & Housing and Water, Land, Ocean Resources & Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 1917, S.D. 3, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HOUSING,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to provide homeless solutions and housing options for Hawaii's residents by:

     (1)  Appropriating funds and authorizing the issuance of general obligation bonds for various housing and homeless programs and services;

     (2)  Requiring the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation (HHFDC) to develop an affordable housing inventory registry; and

     (3)  Extending the sunset date and changing the allocation of the conveyance tax to the Rental Housing Trust Fund (RHTF) and appropriating funds to the RHTF.

     HHFDC, the Hawaii Public Housing Authority, Catholic Charities Hawaii, Hawaii Family Forum, Roman Catholic Church in the State of Hawaii, Housing Hawaii, Hawaii Association of REALTORS, Pacific Housing Assistance Corporation, Partners in Care, McCully-Moiliili Neighborhood Board, No. 8, Windward Ahupuaa Alliance, Windward Homeless Coalition, and several concerned individuals testified in support of this bill.  The Department of Taxation, Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, and Tax Foundation of Hawaii provided comments.

     Testimony was received suggesting that HHFDC coordinate an inventory registry of affordable housing projects on public lands in each county.  HHFDC stated that it is currently working with the Department of Land and Natural Resources to create such a registry.  Further, this measure, as it was received from the Senate, includes provisions requiring HHFDC to develop and maintain an affordable housing inventory registry.

     Your Committees are supportive of the recommendation from several testifiers who stated that the conveyance tax allocation to RHTF should be increased to 65 percent on a permanent basis, but did not amend the measure to reflect such, in the interest of encouraging further discussion on the matter and allowing the Committee on Finance to also review the suggestion.

     Your Committees have amended this bill by:

     (1)  Adding a $50,000 appropriation to commission a study to find solutions for the Waianae Coast homeless population;

     (2)  Adding unspecified appropriations for homeless support services, operating funds for emergency and transitional shelters, and to provide matching funds for shelter plus care grants;

     (3)  Inserting provisions requiring counties to adopt rules to allow for the construction of indigenous Hawaiian structures by March 31, 2008;

     (4)  Changing the effective date to July 1, 2020, to encourage further discussion; and

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

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Human Services & Housing and Water, Land, Ocean Resources & Hawaiian Affairs that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1917, S.D. 3, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1917, S.D. 3, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Human Services & Housing and Water, Land, Ocean Resources & Hawaiian Affairs,

____________________________ KEN ITO, Chair

____________________________ MAILE SHIMABUKURO, Chair