STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2426

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 2111

       S.D. 2

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2010

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Water, Land, Agriculture, and Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 2111, S.D. 1, entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to shorten the time period within which counties may accept or reject requests for dedication of infrastructure for affordable housing to sixty days, commencing upon receipt by the appropriate county council of a complete application for dedication request, and subject to certain conditions.

     Testimony in support of the measure was submitted by four organizations.  Two state agencies support the intent and one county agency submitted comments.  Written testimony presented to the Committee may be reviewed on the Legislature's website.

     This measure was proposed by the Affordable Housing Regulatory Barriers Task Force which was established in response to the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development's National Call to Action for Affordable Housing Through Regulatory Reform.  The Task Force's main objective was to identify regulatory barriers to affordable housing developments in the State and to recommend solutions.  The Task Force determined that in some cases counties do not affirmatively accept public infrastructure that has been developed as a part of an affordable housing project, and that when that dedication is delayed the project financing may be jeopardized.  Your Committee finds that this measure expedites the dedication of infrastructure process by the counties, which in turn advances affordable housing projects in a timely manner.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Changing the effective date to July 1, 2050 for the purposes of further discussion; and

     (2)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purpose of style.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Water, Land, Agriculture, and Hawaiian Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2111, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2111, S.D. 2.

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

____________________________

CLAYTON HEE, Chair