STAND. COM. REP. NO. 429

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 1553

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2025

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 1553 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF HAWAIIAN HOME LANDS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to appropriate funds to the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands to purchase a parcel of land identified as tax map key: (1) 9-1-013-025.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands.

Your Committee finds that there is a large hangar located on the island of Oahu that was used by the United States military to maintain and store large military airplanes. Under the Base Realignment and Closure Act, the hangar was closed and transferred to the State. The hangar is now owned by the University of Hawaii. The University of Hawaii unsuccessfully utilized the hangar for an aviation program that ultimately proved to be unpopular and was subsequently abandoned. Currently, the hangar is temporarily being used by the Honolulu Fire Department and the Honolulu Police Department to house and operate their helicopters until a permanent hangar for these departments located on Lagoon Drive is completed.

Your Committee notes the testimony provided at the public hearing held on this measure by the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands regarding the Department's intended use of the hangar. The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands plans to acquire the hangar and convert it into a modular manufacturing facility. This measure will allow the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands to use the facility to supply modular manufactured housing to its beneficiaries at a significantly lower cost.

Your Committee notes the importance of expediency in regards to the provision of additional affordable housing to beneficiaries of the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands because of the extreme length of the waiting list for homestead lease lots. Many applicants on the waiting list have died before ever being able to access the benefits promised to them, as is reflected and acknowledged in Kalima, et al. v. State, et al., Civil No. 99‑4771-12 LWC (First Cir. Haw.).

Your Committee has amended this measure by inserting an effective date of July 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Hawaiian Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1553, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1553, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

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

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HERBERT RICHARDS, Chair