THE SENATE	S.C.R. NO.	160
THIRTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2022
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

requesting the establishment of a process for affordable housing projects in the Commission on water resource management to address Hawai‘i's housing shortage.

WHEREAS, Hawai‘i faces a crisis of housing availability and affordability; and

WHEREAS, the high cost of housing in Hawai‘i is primarily the result of insufficient housing production and affordable housing inventory; and

WHEREAS, while there are numerous barriers inhibiting the development of new housing in Hawai‘i, one of the most significant is the lack of adequate infrastructure, including infrastructure necessary to deliver potable water; and

WHEREAS, the regulation of water resources is administered by multiple agencies at the county and state level, depending on the designation of the water source in question and the quantity of water being used; and

WHEREAS, installation of water use infrastructure requires approval from the Commission on Water Resource Management, which currently lacks a process to identify and prioritize permitting for affordable housing developments; and

WHEREAS, after years of permitting new drinking water sources through an administrative process, the Commission on Water Resource Management recently began processing well permits, which has not been a normal procedure for areas that are not designated as a groundwater management area; and

WHEREAS, without a clearly defined process to respond to permit applications for new drinking water sources, the development of affordable housing in the State will continue to be delayed by the lack of available potable water; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-first Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2022, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Commission on Water Resource Management is requested to develop and implement a permitting process that supports the preauthorization for the development of affordable housing throughout the State and especially in rural areas; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Commission on Water Resource Management is requested to consider the establishment of a water resource management for affordable housing development working group that convenes upon a federal agency or authority's initiation of an inquiry or investigation relating to a permit application order to address the inquiry or investigation; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Commission on Water Resource Management is requested to consider the following composition of a water resource management for affordable housing working group:

(1) A member of the Board of Land and Natural Resources;

(2) One person designated by the mayor of the county in which the permit application was submitted;

(3) One person designated by the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands; and

(4) One person designated by the Department of Water Supply of the county in which the permit application was submitted; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the working group's recommendations to remediate the concerns of the federal agency or authority should be submitted to the Commission on Water Resource Management, who is requested to then adopt rules in accordance with chapter 91, Hawaii Revised Statutes, to implement the process developed by the working group; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a certified copy of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Chairperson of the Commission on Water Resource Management.

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title:

Commission on Water Resource Management; Permit Applications; Affordable Housing