Report Title:

Community-based development; military base closure

Description:

Provides that an applicant for a loan to develop an enterprise located in an area that has undergone a major military base deployment shall be given preferential eligibility for financial assistance under the community-based economic development program.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

2922

TWENTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2004

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 


 

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

relating to economic development.

 

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

SECTION 1. Section 210D-1, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:

"§210D-1 Findings and purpose. The legislature finds that:

(1) It is in the best interest of the State to bring about a diversification of opportunities in all aspects of life for the residents and communities of the State;

(2) Community-based enterprises play an important part in providing a diversification of opportunities for Hawaii's residents and communities;

(3) Community-based enterprises are characterized by their interests not only in profits but in community empowerment, that is, building the community to enable it to be more self-reliant, which encourages diversification of opportunities for Hawaii's residents and communities;

(4) Community-based enterprises have the potential to increase self-determination, provide employment opportunities, strengthen community identity, retain and create community cultural anchors, and reinforce community social, cultural, economic, and spiritual values, and are thus of crucial importance in securing the diversification of opportunities;

(5) Programs to develop community-based enterprises have the potential to increase self-reliance and provide employment opportunities to Hawaii's people;

(6) Programs to develop community-based enterprises also have the potential to mitigate the impact of major military base deployments on the surrounding community;

[(6)] (7) Conventional financial institutions traditionally do not provide loans to establish or expand community- based enterprises;

[(7)] (8) No present state agency or program has the authority to financially assist community-based enterprises; and

[(8)] (9) The State should initiate a program to assist community-based enterprises through loans, grants, and technical assistance.

The purpose of this chapter is to establish a program of technical and financial assistance for community-based organizations to assist the establishment and development of community-based enterprises in the State."

SECTION 2. Section 210D-12, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:

"§210D-12 Priorities and preferences. In selecting applicants for funding, the department shall make every effort to ensure that community-based economic development activities and community-based enterprises are distributed throughout the State[.]; provided that preferential eligibility for financial assistance under this chapter shall be given to applicants proposing activities or enterprises located in an area that has undergone a major military base deployment, where the activity or enterprise:

(1) In an urban setting, is located within ten miles of the military base; and

(2) In a rural setting, is located within twenty miles of the military base.

For the purposes of this section, "major military base deployment" means a deployment out-of-state, of fifty per cent or more of the members of the military stationed at a military base."

SECTION 3. Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken. New statutory material is underscored.

SECTION 4. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

INTRODUCED BY:

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