STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1200

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.R. No. 67

       S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2017

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committees on Housing and Public Safety, Intergovernmental, and Military Affairs, to which was referred S.R. No. 67 entitled:

"SENATE RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE HAWAII HOUSING FINANCE AND DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION TO DEVELOP A COLLABORATIVE PLAN TO BEST LEVERAGE AVAILABLE STATE AND COUNTY FUNDS TO BUILD AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROJECTS,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to request that the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation develop a collaborative plan to best leverage available state and county funds to build affordable housing projects.

     Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the County of Maui and one individual.  Your Committees received comments on this measure from the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation.

     Your Committees find that a lack of affordable housing is a significant, long-standing problem in Hawaii.  Your Committees further find that resources exist at the state and county levels that could be effectively coordinated to develop affordable housing units.  Your Committees additionally find that these resources include parcels of unused property currently owned by the counties, particularly the county of Maui, some of which are ideal sites for affordable housing units.

     Accordingly, your Committees have amended this measure by:

     (1)  Inserting language to request the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation, Department of Accounting and General Services, and the County of Maui to explore the feasibility of transferring a parcel of property for the purpose of developing a mixed-use rental housing project and enter into a memorandum of understanding, if appropriate, to execute the transfer;

     (2)  Amending its title accordingly; and

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

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Housing and Public Safety, Intergovernmental, and Military Affairs that are attached to this report, your Committees concur with the intent and purpose of S.R. No. 67, as amended herein, and recommend that it be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means, in the form attached hereto as S.R. No. 67, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Housing and Public Safety, Intergovernmental, and Military Affairs,

________________________________ CLARENCE K. NISHIHARA, Chair

________________________________ WILL ESPERO, Chair