STAND. COM. REP. NO. 207

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2025

RE: H.B. No. 1467

H.D. 1

Honorable Nadine K. Nakamura

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2025

State of Hawaii

Madame:

Your Committee on Housing, to which was referred H.B. No. 1467 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HOUSING RESILIENCY,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to:

(1) Establish the Strengthen Hawaii Homes Program with the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism to administer grants to retrofit residential properties in historically vulnerable areas; and

(2) Establish the Strengthen Hawaii Homes Program Special Fund and appropriate funds out of the special fund for the Strengthen Hawaii Homes Program.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaii Green Infrastructure Authority and Hawai‘i Climate Advisory Team. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of the Attorney General; Office of Information Practices; and Office of Planning and Sustainable Development.

Your Committee finds that many residential properties in the State face significant risks from natural disasters, which can lead to devastating property damage. Your Committee believes that the State should be proactive in mitigating damages caused by natural disasters by providing financial support to residents to strengthen their properties accordingly, which will enhance resilience, safety, and long-term savings in communities throughout the State.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Expanding the definition of "disaster";

(2) Deleting throughout the measure all references to a historically vulnerable area and associated language;

(3) Authorizing the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism to delegate the powers and responsibilities of the Strengthen Hawaii Homes Program (Program) to a third party and contract with that third party, without regard to the Hawaii Public Procurement Code;

(4) Clarifying the grant application process and information that must be included in the application;

(5) Specifying that a household with an income of no more than one hundred forty percent, rather than one hundred sixty percent, has priority for the award of grants under the Program;

(6) Deleting language that would have required improvements necessary for a residential property eligible for the Program to achieve standards of any successor designation;

(7) Authorizing, for good cause, the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism to extend the timeframe for the completion of a retrofit project;

(8) Inserting a general fund appropriation of an unspecified amount to be deposited into the Strengthen Hawaii Homes Program Special Fund;

(9) Changing the effective date to July 1, 3000, to encourage further discussion; and

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

Your Committee respectfully requests your Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce, should it deliberate on this measure, to determine whether the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism or Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs is the state department best suited to oversee the Program.

Your Committee also respectfully requests your Committee on Finance, should it deliberate on this measure, to consider an appropriation amount of $10,000,000 for the Program.

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 H.B. No. 1467, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1467, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce.

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

____________________________

LUKE A. EVSLIN, Chair