STAND. COM. REP. NO. 139

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 771

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2025

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Housing, to which was referred S.B. No. 771 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE HAWAII HOUSING FINANCE AND DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Repeal the requirement that the Chairperson of the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation (HHFDC) Board of Directors be a public member; and

(2) Repeal the prohibition that certain ex officio board members shall not be eligible to serve as Chairperson of the HHFDC Board of Directors.

Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation.

Your Committee finds that the HHFDC Board of Directors serves a critical purpose to help the State meet the housing needs of its residents. However, existing statutory provisions prohibit certain members from serving in leadership roles on the HHFDC Board of Directors. This was initially intended to ensure that the Board would be community-oriented and responsive to the needs of the State's residents. However, two-thirds of the voting members of the HHFDC Board of Directors comprise of community members, retaining the legislative intent that the membership reflect the concerns and needs of communities statewide, as this measure does not affect the existing composition of the Board.

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. 771 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary.

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

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STANLEY CHANG, Chair