STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2519

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2658

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2020

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Government Operations and Housing, to which was referred S.B. No. 2658 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HOUSING,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to create the position of director of housing within the department of business, economic development, and tourism to coordinate government resources to respond to Hawaii's housing shortage.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation, Chamber of Commerce Hawaii, and two individuals. Your Committees received comments on this measure from the Hawaii Public Housing Authority.

Your Committees find that there is a unique opportunity to increase the supply of housing by building more housing units on state-owned lands along the rail transit corridor. According to testimony received by your Committees, the agencies that control state lands have a limited understanding of the real estate development and government land processes. This means that existing state lands may not be redeveloped for uses that will help achieve the state goal of increasing housing at all price points. Your Committees recognize that a centralized authority with the ability to collaborate across various state agencies and coordinate state resources is needed to appropriately respond to Hawaii's housing crisis.

Your Committees have amended this measure by:

(1) Changing the title of the position of director housing to the position of housing coordinator;

(2) Attaching the position to the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation under chapter 201H, Hawaii Revised Statutes;

(3) Making the position of housing coordinator exempt from civil service;

(4) Revising the duties and responsibilities of the position to include organizing and maintaining a housing opportunity working group to find ways to maximize housing development efficiency and report its efforts to the Governor and the Legislature;

(5) Deleting language that would have required the housing coordinator to address complaints and other issues concerning public housing;

(6) Amending Section 1 to reflect its amended purpose; and

(7) 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 Government Operations and Housing that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2658, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2658, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Government Operations and Housing,

________________________________ STANLEY CHANG, Chair

________________________________ LAURA H. THIELEN, Chair