THE SENATE                           S.C.R. NO.            142
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 1999                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
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                    SENATE  CONCURRENT
                        RESOLUTION

  SUPPORTING THE HAWAII HOUSING INDUSTRY. 


 1        WHEREAS, the United States House of Representatives on
 2   July 20, 1998, voted to adopt House Concurrent Resolution 208,
 3   stating that national goals should include providing access to
 4   affordable housing and expanding home ownership opportunities
 5   by encouraging tax incentives, facilitating home ownership by
 6   making loans and mortgages more accessible, and promoting the
 7   ability of the private sector to produce affordable housing
 8   without excessive government regulation; and 
 9   
10        WHEREAS, it is essential that our state government be
11   committed to these goals because affordable housing is one of
12   the major challenges in Hawaii and the construction industry
13   remains stagnant; and
14   
15        WHEREAS, in 1997, home ownership for Hawaii was 57.9
16   percent, well below the 66 percent national home ownership
17   average; and 
18   
19        WHEREAS, the priorities of our State should include
20   expanding homeownership opportunities and providing access to
21   affordable housing that is safe, clean, and healthy; and
22   
23        WHEREAS, these priorities should be pursued through
24   policies that promote the ability of the private sector to
25   produce affordable housing without excessive government
26   regulation and policies that encourage tax incentives and make
27   capital available for homeownership and housing production; and
28   
29        WHEREAS, such policies will reduce overcrowding of
30   households, reduce households that are doubled up, and lower
31   the cost of available housing opportunities; and
32   
33        WHEREAS, supporting the housing industry will promote
34   homeownership, affordable housing, and the construction
35   industry, while additionally promoting a cooperative attitude
36   of agencies that regulate the construction industry; now,
37   therefore,

 
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                                  S.C.R. NO.            142
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1   
 2        BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twentieth Legislature
 3   of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 1999, the House of
 4   Representatives concurring, that the Housing and Community
 5   Development Corporation of Hawaii, in conjunction with the
 6   Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs and the Department
 7   of Taxation, is requested to examine how to provide access to
 8   affordable housing and expand home ownership expressed in this
 9   Concurrent Resolution; and
10   
11        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Housing and Community
12   Development Corporation of Hawaii, is requested to report
13   findings and recommendations to the Legislature twenty days
14   before the convening of the Regular Session of 2000; and
15   
16        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a certified copy of this
17   Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Housing and
18   Community Development Corporation of Hawaii, the Department of
19   Commerce and Consumer Affairs, and the Department of Taxation.
20 
21 
22                         OFFERED BY:  ____________________________