STAND. COM. REP. NO. 517

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    S.B. No. 725

 

 

 

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2021

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committees on Housing and Government Operations, to which was referred S.B. No. 725 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 add the definition of "housing" to include all potential properties that could be developed by the Hawaii Public Housing Authority.

 

     Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaii Public Housing Authority.  Your Committees received comments on this measure from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs.

 

     Your Committees find that concentrating public housing projects solely for low-income families in dense urban areas is not an effective use of the scarce resources available to the Hawaii Public Housing Authority.  Recently, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has led this new paradigm as they now strive to create financially viable and socially stable mixed-income housing projects.  This measure will allow the Hawaii Public Housing Authority to follow HUD's lead and create vibrant communities for residents.

 

     Your Committees note that, should this measure move forward, the Hawaii Public Housing Authority's statutory mission to provide affordable housing will not change as a result of this measure.  Your Committees also note that ninety-nine years is the minimum length of time necessary to guarantee that a buyer will never have to move before they die, that ninety-nine years is the lease term for Department of Hawaiian Home Lands residences, and that the Office of Hawaiian Affairs cannot rule out developing market-rate housing for non-Hawaiians on their parcels at Kakaako Makai.  Finally, your Committees recognize that "home ownership on as widespread a basis as possible" is one of the statutory purposes of the public land trust under the Admission Act.

 

     Your Committees respectfully request that future committees that have this measure consider:

 

     (1)  Adding language to provide a mechanism to recognize and protect native Hawaiian claims to ceded lands which may become subject to the broad leasing authority of the Hawaii Public Housing Authority; and

 

     (2)  Adding language to clarify the obligations of the Hawaii Public Housing Authority under the public land trust and the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act.

 

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Housing and Government Operations that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 725 and recommend that it pass Second Reading and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Housing and Government Operations,

 

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SHARON MORIWAKI, Chair

 

________________________________

STANLEY CHANG, Chair