STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2918

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2293

S.D. 2

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2018

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 2293, S.D. 1, entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to preserve the Front Street Apartments as an affordable rental housing project through negotiations with the property owner, or if necessary, through the State exercising its power of eminent domain to acquire the property.

Your Committee received written comments in support of this measure from the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation; Office of the Mayor of the County of Maui; a member of the Maui County Council; Front Street Apartment Tenants Group; ILWU Local 142; LahainaTown Action Committee; Lahuiokalani Ka`anapali Church; OCC Legislative Priorities Committee, Democratic Party of Hawaii; St. Elizabeth's Church; Waiola Church, UCC; West Maui Taxpayers Association; and sixteen individuals.

Your Committee received written comments in opposition to this measure from Front Street Affordable Housing Partners.

Your Committee finds that the tenants of the Front Street Apartments, the surrounding community, and the island of Maui would benefit from the active intervention of the State to ensure that the current and future tenants of the Front Street Apartments have access to affordable housing.

Your Committee has amended this measure by changing the appropriation for negotiations and real property improvements from $250,000 to an unspecified amount to facilitate further discussion on the measure.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2293, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2293, S.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

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DONOVAN M. DELA CRUZ, Chair