STAND. COM. REP. NO. 460

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 1210

       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 Public Safety, Intergovernmental, and Military Affairs and Housing, to which was referred S.B. No. 1210 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to authorize counties to develop public-private partnerships to construct relief sewers for affordable housing development projects.

     Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaii Public Housing Authority, Building Industry Association of Hawaii, Chamber of Commerce Hawaii, and Ho‘omana Pono, LLC.

Your Committees find that a lack of affordable housing is a growing and grave concern to the health, safety, and welfare of the people of the State.  As home prices in the State continue to rise to levels far out of reach of many families, it is necessary to support the development of affordable housing.  There are many obstacles to the development of affordable housing, including a lack of cooperation between government and private entities in the development of necessary infrastructure.  This measure addresses this fundamental impediment to the development of affordable housing by authorizing counties to partner with private entities to construct relief sewers for affordable housing development projects. 

Your Committees also note the recommendation offered by the Building Industry Association of Hawaii and Chamber of Commerce Hawaii that one county entity should oversee all private-public partnerships.  Your Committees request that if your Committee on Ways and Means chooses to hear this measure, that your Committee on Ways and Means consider to identify the appropriate entity in each county to oversee all public-private partnerships.

     Your Committees have amended this measure by:

     (1)  Adding language establishing that an unnamed entity of the county will oversee all public-private partnerships; and

     (2)  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 Public Safety, Intergovernmental, and Military Affairs and Housing that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1210, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1210, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

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

________________________________ WILL ESPERO, Chair

________________________________ CLARENCE K. NISHIHARA, Chair