STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1840

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2007

RE:   S.B. No. 1917

      S.D. 3

      H.D. 2

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Finance, to which was referred S.B. No. 1917, S.D. 3, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HOUSING,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to address the housing crisis in Hawaii by:

     (1)  Providing funding for various homeless shelters and transitional housing programs and services;

     (2)  Providing funding for a census, interviews, and homeless best-practice solutions for the Waianae Coast homeless population;

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

     (4)  Increasing the percentage allocation of conveyance tax revenues to the Rental Housing Trust Fund (RHTF) and extending the sunset date for these allocations to June 30, 2012;

     (5)  Providing funding for various affordable and public housing programs; and

(6)  Requiring counties to adopt rules to allow for the construction of indigenous Hawaiian structures by March 31, 2008.

The Department of Taxation, HHFDC, Catholic Charities Hawaii, Hawaii Association of Realtors, Hawaii Family Forum, and several concerned individuals supported this bill.  The Governor's Policy Office and Hawaii Public Housing Authority supported this bill in part.  Partners in Care, Housing Hawaii, and a concerned individual supported this bill with amendments.  The Tax Foundation of Hawaii submitted comments.

Your Committee has amended this bill by:

(1)  Blanking out the 2012 extended sunset date for the increase in conveyance tax revenue allocations to the RHTF;

(2)  Blanking out the $50,000 appropriation for the Waianae Coast homeless study;

(3)  Extending the appropriation for homeless outreach or support service providers, to supportive services projects currently funded through Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) homeless assistance programs, to maximize federal dollars;

(4)  Extending the appropriation for continual operational funds and matching funds for Shelter Plus Care grants, to HUD Supportive Housing Programs; and

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

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Finance that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1917, S.D. 3, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1917, S.D. 3, H.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Finance,

____________________________

MARCUS R. OSHIRO, Chair