Report Title:

Rental Housing Trust Fund Advisory Commission

Description:

Eliminates the Rental Housing Trust Fund Advisory Commission. Requires a representative of social services providers to be on the Housing and Community Development Corporation Board. (HB2453 HD1)

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

2453

TWENTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2004

H.D. 1

STATE OF HAWAII

 


 

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

RELATING TO THE RENTAL HOUSING TRUST FUND ADVISORY COMMISSION.

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

SECTION 1. Act 350, Session Laws of Hawaii 1997, consolidated all state housing functions under the Hawaii housing authority, housing finance and development corporation, and rental housing trust fund commission. The Act converted the rental housing trust fund commission from a decision-making body with authority to award rental housing trust funds to an advisory body that informs and advises the housing and community development corporation of Hawaii on matters concerning the administration of the rental housing trust fund. Developers requesting funding to construct or rehabilitate affordable rental housing projects are required to obtain an approval from the rental housing trust fund advisory commission which, in turn, makes a recommendation for approval to the housing and community development corporation of Hawaii. As such, the process for awarding rental housing trust funds is duplicative and drawn out.

The purpose of this Act is to eliminate redundancies in the award of rental housing trust funds by repealing the rental housing trust fund advisory commission.

SECTION 2. Section 201G-3, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by amending subsection (a) to read as follows:

"(a) There is created a board consisting of nine members, of whom six shall be public members appointed by the governor as provided in section 26-34. Public members shall be appointed from each of the counties of Honolulu, Hawaii, Maui, and Kauai. One public member shall be [the chairperson of the rental housing trust fund advisory commission.] a representative of social service providers. At least one public member shall be a person who is directly assisted by the corporation under the federal low-rent public housing or federal section 8 tenant-based housing assistance payments program while serving on the board. The public members of the board shall serve four-year staggered terms; provided that the initial appointments shall be as follows: two members to be appointed for four years; two members to be appointed for three years; and one member to be appointed for two years. [The chairperson of the rental housing trust fund advisory commission shall serve a concurrent term on the board.] The director of business, economic development, and tourism and the director of human services, or their designated representatives, and a representative of the governor's office, shall be ex officio voting members. The corporation shall be headed by the board."

SECTION 3. Section 201G-431, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by repealing the definition of "advisory commission".

[""Advisory commission" means the rental housing trust fund advisory commission established by this subpart."]

SECTION 4. Section 201G-433, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is repealed.

["§201G-433 Rental housing trust fund advisory commission. (a) There is established within the corporation the rental housing trust fund advisory commission consisting of seven members, five of whom shall be public members and appointed pursuant to section 26-34. The public members of the advisory commission shall serve four-year staggered terms; provided that the initial appointments shall be as follows: two members to be appointed for four years; two members to be appointed for three years; and one member to be appointed for two years. As part of this appointment process, an appropriate organization from each of the categories of organizations enumerated below shall submit a list of three public member nominees to the governor. The governor shall select and appoint one public member from each list.

The public members shall be representative of the following categories of organizations:

(1) Real estate brokers and rental property managers;

(2) Tenants and renters advocacy organizations;

(3) Nonprofit housing developers and low income service providers;

(4) Mortgage lenders; and

(5) Architects and planners.

A county government official who shall be appointed for a two-year term on a rotating basis among counties and the governor's designated representative shall be ex officio voting members of the advisory commission.

(b) The chairperson shall be a public member elected by the members of the advisory commission and shall serve not more than two one-year terms as chair.

(c) The vice-chair shall be a public member elected by the members of the advisory commission.

(d) Four members shall constitute a quorum. Four affirmative votes shall be necessary for all actions by the advisory commission.

(e) The members shall receive no compensation for services, but shall be entitled to necessary expenses, including traveling expenses, incurred in the performance of their duties.

(f) The advisory commission shall advise and serve as the liaison between the board of the corporation and the general public."]

SECTION 5. Section 201G-434, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is repealed.

["[§201G-434] Duties of the advisory commission. (a) In addition to any other duties granted by this subpart, the advisory commission shall advise and assist the board of the corporation, evaluate the fund program each year, and report its evaluation with suggested changes to the legislature not fewer than twenty days before the convening of each regular session starting with the regular session of 1998.

(b) In addition to any other powers and duties granted under subsection (a), the commission shall:

(1) Define the guidelines, procedures, conditions, and details of loans and grants under this section; including, but not limited to the establishment of loan-to-value and debt-coverage ratios; and

(2) Have the authority to obtain the services of technical and support staff from other government agencies to carry out the purposes of this chapter."]

SECTION 6. Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken. New statutory material is underscored.

SECTION 7. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.