STAND. COM. REP. NO. 320

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    S.B. No. 636

       S.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2019

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Housing, to which was referred S.B. No. 636 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HOUSING,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to authorize the issuance of general obligation bonds and appropriate funds into and out of the rental housing revolving fund.

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation, Catholic Charities Hawaii, Faith Action for Community Equity, Partners In Care, Hawaii Kai Homeless Task Force, and six individuals.

 

     Your Committee finds that the State is in a housing crisis, primarily affecting households making eighty percent or less of the area median income.  This crisis is coupled with the high population of chronically homeless individuals in the State.  Your Committee further finds that there is a need for more home ownership, not just rentals, at reasonable prices for Hawaii residents.  The State would require roughly 44,000 new housing units in order to solve the shortage.  Your Committee believes that more funding is required to address the severe lack of affordable housing and to get the homeless off the streets and into permanent housing.

 

     Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Inserting a blank general obligation bond authorization amount and blank amount to be appropriated into and out of the rental housing revolving fund;

 

     (2)  Requiring that a specific amount of funds appropriated out of the rental housing revolving fund be expended to create permanent supportive housing for chronically homeless individuals;

 

     (3)  Authorizing the issuance of general obligation bonds and appropriating funds into and out of the dwelling unit revolving fund and, contingent upon the enactment of S.B. No. 878 in any form, the home ownership housing revolving fund; and

 

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

 

     Your Committee recommends that your Committee on Ways and Means consider a general obligation issuance amount of $400,000,000 to be divided among the rental housing revolving fund, dwelling unit revolving fund, and home ownership housing revolving fund.  Your Committee notes that Catholic Charities Hawaii requests $75,000,000 to be allocated to the creation of permanent supportive housing units for chronically homeless individuals.

 

     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. 636, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 636, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

 


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

 

 

 

________________________________

STANLEY CHANG, Chair