STAND. COM. REP. NO. 889

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    H.B. No. 521

 

 

 

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2013

State of Hawaii

 

Madam:

 

     Your Committee on Human Services, to which was referred H.B. No. 521 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO AFFORDABLE HOUSING,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to authorize the issuance of general obligation bonds and the appropriation of funds for deposit into the rental housing trust fund to finance affordable rental housing development.

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation, Catholic Charities Hawaii, Hawaii Appleseed Center for Law and Economic Justice, Hawaii Association of REALTORS, and Housing Hawaii.  Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Budget and Finance.

 

     Your Committee finds that the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation uses the rental housing trust fund to finance the development of critically needed rental housing through public-private partnerships.  The Corporation reports that during fiscal year 2012, the rental housing trust fund received $37,000,000 in requests but was only able to commit $20,700,000 to four rental projects totaling three hundred seventeen units.  Requests for awards to help finance an additional two hundred thirty units went unfunded due to a lack of available funds.

 

     Your Committee further finds that the appropriation in this measure will provide greater flexibility to the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation to increase the inventory of affordable rental housing units in the State.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Human Services that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 521, and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Human Services,

 

 

 

____________________________

SUZANNE CHUN OAKLAND, Chair