STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1877

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2021

RE: S.B. No. 2

S.D. 2

H.D. 2

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2021

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Finance, to which was referred S.B. No. 2, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PUBLIC LANDS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to:

(1) Exempt land set aside by the Governor to the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation and lands leased to the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation by other state departments or agencies from classification as public lands subject to Department of Land and Natural Resources' management;

(2) Require those lands to instead be subject to legislative approval before they may be sold or gifted;

(3) Require state department or agency lands leased to the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation that are no longer needed for housing, finance, or development to be returned to the state department or agency that leased the lands to the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation; and

(4) Require the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation to submit certain documentation to the Office of Hawaiian Affairs regarding government or crown lands set aside or leased to the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation before planning to develop or finance an affordable housing development on those lands.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation; Department of Planning and Permitting of the City and County of Honolulu; EAH Housing; Mutual Housing Association of Hawai‘i, Inc.; Land Use Research Foundation of Hawaii; and one individual. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Kūpuna for the Mo‘opuna, Ho‘opae Pono Peace Project, ‘Ilio‘ulaokalani Coalition, Hawai‘i Alliance for Progressive Action, Ka Lāhui Hawai‘i Kōmike Kalai‘āina, Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation, HOPE Services Hawai‘i, and numerous individuals. Your Committee received comments on this measure from Stanford Carr Development, LLC.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Removing the requirement for the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation to submit certain documentation to the Office of Hawaiian Affairs regarding government or crown lands set aside or leased to the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation before planning to develop or finance an affordable housing development on those lands;

(2) Requiring the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation to give preference to individuals on the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands waiting list for property set aside or leased to the Corporation that was classed as government or crown lands or leased for ninety-nine years before the Corporation develops or finances an affordable housing development on those lands; and

(3) 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 Finance that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2, S.D. 2, H.D. 2.

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

____________________________

SYLVIA LUKE, Chair