STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3922

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: H.B. No. 2345

H.D. 1

S.D. 2

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred H.B. No. 2345, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO LAND,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to provide opportunities for teachers to obtain affordable housing.

Specifically, the measure:

(1) Authorizes the State to acquire the fee simple interest, a lease, or another form of interest in a certain parcel of real property located in Ewa Beach on the island of Oahu, for the purpose of developing or facilitating the development of affordable housing for teachers, with priority to be given to Department of Education classroom teachers in the beginning of their careers;

(2) Authorizes the State to offer certain benefits to the seller or lessor of the parcel; and

(3) Appropriates moneys to the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation for the acquisition, appraisal, and pre-development maintenance of the parcel.

Your Committee received written comments in support of this measure from the Department of Education and Hawaii State Teachers Association.

Your Committee received written comments on this measure from the Department of Budget and Finance and Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation.

Your Committee finds that the State's inability to recruit and retain teachers has been a long-standing issue and has been exacerbated due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic; therefore, the State should take the initiative to develop affordable housing for teachers to improve the State's teacher recruitment and retention efforts.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Deleting language that references a specific property;

(2) Providing that in the development of affordable housing, priority shall be given to a community with schools experiencing a high shortage of teachers;

(3) Deleting the housing priority for teachers who are in the beginning of their careers;

(4) Providing that the Department of Education shall publish a needs assessment, rather than conduct an elementary school needs assessment;

(5) Making the School Facilities Authority, rather than the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation, responsible for the acquisition, appraisal, and pre‑development maintenance of the land intended for teachers' affordable housing; and

(6) Making technical nonsubstantive changes for purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2345, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2345, H.D. 1, S.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

________________________________

DONOVAN M. DELA CRUZ, Chair