STAND. COM. REP. NO. 496

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 1387

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2019

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Housing and Water and Land, to which was referred S.B. No. 1387 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO AHUPUA‘A ‘O KAHANA STATE PARK,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to appropriate funds to the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation for low-interest home construction and home improvement loans of Ahupua‘a ‘O Kahana State Park residential leases.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the O‘ahu County Committee on Legislative Priorities of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i. Your Committees received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation. Your Committees received comments on this measure from the Department of Land and Natural Resources and one individual.

Your Committees find that Ahupua‘a ‘O Kahana State Park cannot realize its potential as a living park or a public resource until certain conflicts are resolved, which include the vision and management of the park, unfulfilled requirements for interpretive hours, defaulted mortgage payments, and the status of certain leases. Your Committees further find that the concept of a living park was established in 1971, and the Board of Land and Natural Resources issued leases with a term of sixty-five years to thirty-one families living in Kahana. A 1986 Attorney General opinion states that residents are allowed to live in Kahana only if they are part of the interpretive programs in the living park. Your Committees find that several families are current on their service hours, but many are in serious arrears. This measure would provide further financial assistance to those who need it to maintain their residency in the Ahupua‘a ‘O Kahana State Park.

Your Committees have amended this measure by:

(1) Inserting a blank appropriation amount and blank maximum amount per loan available to any eligible holder of a Kahana Valley State Park residential lease;

(2) Inserting an effective date of July 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion; 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 Water and Land that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1387, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1387, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

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

________________________________ KAIALI'I KAHELE, Chair

________________________________ STANLEY CHANG, Chair