STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2990

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    H.B. No. 1398

       H.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Shan S. Tsutsui

President of the Senate

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2012

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committees on Human Services and Water, Land, and Housing and Public Safety, Government Operations, and Military Affairs, to which was referred H.B. No. 1398, H.D. 1, entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE HAWAII PUBLIC HOUSING AUTHORITY,"

 

beg leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to encourage joint ventures with private parties for the development of public housing by:

 

     (1)  Authorizing the Hawaii Public Housing Authority to develop public housing projects under a partnership or development agreement with a private party;

 

     (2)  Providing exemptions from chapters 103 and 103D, Hawaii Revised Statutes, and other statutory requirements for competitive bidding for partnership or development agreements, construction contracts, or other contracts, if not prohibited by federal law or regulation; and

 

     (3)  Requiring the Authority to submit an annual report on the status of all public housing projects being developed using partnership or development agreements.

 

     Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Human Services, Hawaii Public Housing Authority of the Department of Human Services, and Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism.  Your Committees received testimony in opposition to this measure from the State Procurement Office.

 

     Your Committees find that Hawaii has over nine thousand families on its waiting list for public housing and an increasing number of homeless families seeking housing.  Increasing the housing inventory of the Hawaii Public Housing Authority will have a significant and favorable impact to the low-income families in Hawaii who are in need of affordable housing.

 

Your Committees also find that the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development encourages utilizing the public-private partnership model for the improvement of public housing projects.  This measure would authorize the Authority to enter into public-private partnerships for the increased development of new public housing developments and the improvement of existing public housing units.

 

Your Committees also note and share the concern expressed in the testimony of the State Procurement Office regarding the exemptions from chapters 103 and 103D, Hawaii Revised Statutes, and requirements of law for competitive bidding for partnership or development agreements, construction contracts, or other contracts, for the development of public housing projects pursuant to this measure.  Your Committees therefore request the Hawaii Public Housing Authority to confer with the State Procurement Office to address and make recommendations to allay the concerns regarding the exemptions.

 

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Human Services and Water, Land, and Housing and Public Safety, Government Operations, and Military Affairs that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1398, H.D. 1, and recommend that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

 


Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Human Services and Water, Land, and Housing and Public Safety, Government Operations, and Military Affairs,

 

____________________________

DONOVAN M. DELA CRUZ, Chair

 

____________________________

SUZANNE CHUN OAKLAND, Chair

 

 

____________________________

WILL ESPERO, Chair