STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2941

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    H.B. No. 2515

       H.D. 1

       S.D. 1

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2008

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Human Services and Public Housing, to which was referred H.B. No. 2515, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO KUKUI GARDENS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to appropriate $26,000,000 in general obligation bonds for the purpose of financing and finalizing the acquisition of a portion of the Kukui Gardens housing project to maintain a portion of that project as long-term affordable rental housing.

     Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Faith in Action for Community Equity, and the Hawaii Family Forum. 

     Your Committee finds that this measure would be a positive resolution for the controversy surrounding Kukui Gardens, and that the preservation of 857 affordable housing units is essential to protect its residents, most of whom are elderly and on fixed incomes, against the threat of homelessness. 

     Your Committee has amended this measure by changing the effective date to July 1, 2008.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Human Services and Public Housing that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2515, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2515, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Human Services and Public Housing,

____________________________

SUZANNE CHUN OAKLAND, Chair