Report Title:

Public Housing Repairs

Description:

Requires Housing and Community Development Corporation of Hawaii to repair all vacant public housing units by December 31, 2006. Provides for funding through Capital Fund Program grants or issuance of bonds.

 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

241

TWENTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2005

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 


 

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

RELATING TO HOUSING.

 

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

SECTION 1. The legislature finds that the demand for public housing in Hawaii is greater than the supply of public housing with the wait time for both federal and state-aided public housing of anywhere from two to five years. In the meantime, the State has some units that are in disrepair and are uninhabitable. If renovated and repaired in a timely manner, these units could be made available to applicants on the public housing wait lists and ease the State's affordable housing shortage. The legislature is further aware that there are funds for the modernization of federal housing projects are available to public housing agencies through capital fund program grants administered by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The purpose of this Act is to require the housing and community development corporation of Hawaii to apply for capital fund program grants and to undertake and complete repairs of vacant public housing units by December 31, 2008.

SECTION 2. Section 201G-44, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:

"§201G-44 Administration of state low income housing projects and programs. (a) The corporation may construct, develop, and administer property or housing for the purpose of state low income housing projects and programs.

(b) The corporation shall adopt necessary rules in accordance with chapter 91, including the establishment and collection of reasonable fees for administering the projects or programs and to carry out any state program under [[]subsection[]] (a).

(c) The corporation shall undertake and complete all required repairs to vacant units in state low income housing projects to ensure that the units are sanitary, habitable, and available for rent by December 31, 2008. Twenty-five per cent of all vacant units shall be repaired and ready for occupancy by December 31, 2006; fifty per cent by December 31, 2007; with the balance completed by December 31, 2008.

(d) The corporation may apply for funding through capital fund program grants administered by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development or, pursuant to and in accordance with part III, may issue bonds to complete the repairs to the units as required by subsection (c)."

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.

IN0TRODUCED BY:

_____________________________