STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1347-22

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2022

RE: S.B. No. 2251

S.D. 2

H.D. 2

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 2251, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE PUBLIC HOUSING AUTHORITY,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to:

(1) Authorize the Hawaii Public Housing Authority to develop mixed-income and mixed-financed housing projects; and

(2) Prohibit the development or construction of such housing projects on ceded land that is vacant on or after January 1, 2022.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawai‘i Association of REALTORS and one individual. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and Hawai‘i Alliance for Progressive Action. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Budget and Finance, Department of the Attorney General, and Hawaii Public Housing Authority.

Your Committee finds that the Hawaii Public Housing Authority has indicated that concentrating public housing for extremely low-income families in dense urban areas has not shown to be an effective use of scarce affordable housing resources. Instead, a shift has been made to create financially viable and socially stable mixed-income housing by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. According to the Hawaii Public Housing Authority, the mixed-income and mixed-finance redevelopment model is a proven and successful redevelopment model nationwide and is supported and encouraged by the federal government, which provides the Authority with over eighty-seven percent of its total yearly funding to house its most disadvantaged populations.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Deleting certain references to "public" within chapter 365D, Hawaii Revised Statutes, relating to the Hawaii Public Housing Authority, that were added by this measure; and

(2) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2251, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to your Committee on Finance in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2251, S.D. 2, H.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs,

____________________________

MARK M. NAKASHIMA, Chair