STAND. COM. REP. NO. 207
Honolulu, Hawaii
S.D. 1
President of the Senate
Thirty-First State Legislature
State of Hawaii
Sir:
Your Committee on Housing, to which was referred S.B. No. 43 entitled:
"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HOUSING,"
begs leave to report as follows:
The purpose and intent of this measure is to create the position of Housing Coordinator to be administratively attached to the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation.
Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation, Hawaii Public Housing Authority, EAH Housing, and BIA Hawaii.
Your Committee finds that there is a statewide housing crisis that is negatively impacting the quality of life of Hawaii's residents. The overall lack of supply of housing and the exorbitant cost of the available housing supply is causing an exodus of residents out of the State to more affordable markets. There is a need to coordinate and focus the efforts of the various government agencies who have an obligation to increase the supply of available housing so that Hawaii residents can purchase a home. To accomplish this task, this measure will create the position of Housing Coordinator to be a centralized authority in government to coordinate all of the government's resources to respond to the housing crisis.
Your Committee received testimony from the Hawaii Public Housing Authority (HPHA) that to charge the Housing Coordinator with oversight of state public housing units would interfere with HPHA's annual contribution contract with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Your Committee has amended this measure by:
(1) Deleting the Housing Coordinator's duty to facilitate redevelopment and rehabilitation of existing public housing units;
(2) Changing the appropriation amount from an unspecified amount to $200,000 to cover salary and fringe benefits for the position of Housing Coordinator; and
(3) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.
As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Housing that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 43, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 43, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Housing,
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________________________________ STANLEY CHANG, Chair |
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