STAND. COM. REP. NO. 38-20

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2020

RE: H.B. No. 1769

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2020

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Housing, to which was referred H.B. No. 1769 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HOUSING,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to extend to ninety days a legislative body's deadline to approve, approve with modification, or disapprove an affordable housing project.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Maui County Council and one member of the Maui County Council. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation and Maui Chamber of Commerce.

Your Committee finds that under existing law, legislative bodies have forty-five days to approve, approve with modification, or disapprove an affordable housing project developed in conjunction with the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation. This measure extends the existing deadline for legislative body action, which preserves the current expedited review process for affordable housing projects while also ensuring a legislative body has appropriate time to properly evaluate projects.

Your Committee also finds that the precise time frame for consideration by the legislative body warrants further discussion, to strike the appropriate balance between addressing community needs and ensuring thoughtful planning.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Changing the ninety-day time frame for legislative body approval, approval with modification, or disapproval of an affordable housing project to an unspecified time frame; and

(2) Changing the effective date to July 1, 2025, to encourage further discussion.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Housing that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1769, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1769, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Housing,

____________________________

TOM BROWER, Chair