STAND. COM. REP. NO.  255

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2011

RE:   H.B. No. 754

      H.D. 1

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2011

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Housing, to which was referred H.B. No. 754 entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to support the management of public housing by:

(1)  Requiring the Hawaii Public Housing Authority (HPHA) to establish a schedule of minimum rents for state low-income housing units;

(2)  Requiring HPHA to seek reimbursement from tenants for any and all costs incurred by HPHA to repair damages to tenants' units; and

(3)  Prohibiting HPHA from establishing preferences for the selection of tenants.

The Tenant Association President of Mayor Wrights Homes testified in strong support of this bill.  HPHA and the American Civil Liberties Union testified in opposition to this bill.  Catholic Charities Hawai‘i submitted comments on this measure.

Your Committee has amended this bill by:

(1)  Deleting provisions that would enable HPHA to seek reimbursement costs from tenants for repair damages to the tenants' units;

(2)  Deleting the provision that would prohibit HPHA from establishing preferences for the selection of tenants; and

(3)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for purposes      of clarity, consistency, and style.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Housing that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 754, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 754, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

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

____________________________

RIDA T.R. CABANILLA, Chair