STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2313

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 2908

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2008

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Agriculture and Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 2908 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO AFFORDABLE HOUSING,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to establish a pilot nonprofit developer consultation project within the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands to increase the number of nonprofit developers of affordable homes in Hawaii.

     Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement, Hawaiian Homelands Assembly, Ikaika O Kalani Farms, and two individuals.

     Your Committee finds that the lack of affordable housing in Hawaii is one of the major concerns for the people in Hawaii who do not own a home.  To aid in resolving that concern, funds are needed to enable the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands to gather industry experts and community leaders to identify key strategies and approaches to expanding the production of affordable housing units, including self-help, multi-family, and single-family units, that are owned and operated by nonprofit developers and community organizations. 

     In order to create sustainable economic development projects, a pilot nonprofit developer consultation project program needs to be established to examine and produce recommendations to increase the participation of community based organizations in development projects.  The program is also needed to identify new and existing community based organizations that have the capacity to build affordable housing in order to reduce the reliance on private sector developers and to meet the affordable housing needs of beneficiaries of the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act of 1920, as amended.  This project furthers the goals of the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands by pursuing self determination within homestead communities, and also furthers the goals of the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands' Native Hawaiian community development plan.

     The pilot project would initially be started on Hawaiian homestead lands, but your Committee recognizes the important role nonprofit developers and community based organizations could have in meeting the State's overall affordable housing needs.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Agriculture and Hawaiian Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2908 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Agriculture and Hawaiian Affairs,

____________________________

JILL TOKUDA, Chair