STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1384-18

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2018

RE: S.B. No. 2594

S.D. 2

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2018

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Housing and Water & Land, to which was referred S.B. No. 2594, S.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HOUSING,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to address the minimum standards that publicly-funded housing must satisfy to provide accessibility and safety for individuals with disabilities who visit or use residential spaces by:

(1) Requiring that all construction or renovation of publicly funded housing, including housing developed or financed by the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation and the Hawaii Public Housing Authority, meet certain housing visitability standards beginning on January 1, 2019; and

(2) Providing the Hawaii Public Housing Authority with certain exceptions to the visitability requirements.

The State Council on Developmental Disabilities and Oahu County Committee on Legislative Priorities of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i supported this measure. The Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation; Hawaii Public Housing Authority; Center on Disability Studies of the University of Hawaii; Disability and Communication Access Board; and two individuals offered comments for this measure.

Your Committees note the testimony of the Hawaii Public Housing Authority that it supports the intent of this measure but warns that the practical application of its provisions may result in negative consequences. First, compliance with the provisions of this measure will likely result in units becoming and remaining vacant during the procurement and renovation processes. In addition, because some of the Hawaii Public Housing Authority's existing properties are built on hillsides, renovating those properties will not only inconvenience tenants but also will be financially burdensome.

Your Committees have amended this measure by:

(1) Limiting the applicability of visitability standards to new construction, to all units in single story buildings and buildings with elevators, and to ground floor units in multi-story buildings without elevators;

(2) Removing the provisos that were rendered unnecessary by removing the requirement that renovations comply with visitability requirements; and

(3) Replacing the listed technical elements with a reference to the Type C specifications in the International Code Council/American National Standards Institute A117.1 Standard on Accessible and Usable Buildings and Facilities.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Housing and Water & Land that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2594, S.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2594, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Housing and Water & Land,

____________________________ RYAN I. YAMANE, Chair

____________________________ TOM BROWER, Chair