STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2529

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    S.B. No. 2648

       S.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2020

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committees on Housing and Water and Land, to which was referred S.B. No. 2648 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PUBLIC LANDS,"

 

beg leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to provide that lands set aside to the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation by the Governor or leased to the corporation by other state departments and agencies are exempt from the definition of "public lands" and to clarify that the disposition of such lands are subject to the requirements of chapter 171, Hawaii Revised Statutes or legislative approval.

 

     Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation and Imua Alliance.  Your Committees received comments on this measure from the Department of Land and Natural Resources.

 

     Your Committees find that currently, only lands already owned or controlled by the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation are exempt from the definition of public lands.  This means that any new housing development projects on public lands which the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation wishes to undertake must undergo approval from the Board of Land and Natural Resources.  Your Committees find that this extra step is burdensome and impedes the development of affordable housing which the State desperately needs.  Your Committees further find that any land which is leased to the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation by other state departments or agencies but is no longer needed should be returned to those leasing departments or agencies.

 

     Your Committees have amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Requiring that lands no longer needed by the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation for housing, finance, or development must be returned to the state department or agency from which they came; and

 

     (2)  Deleting a provision which requires the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation to dispose of all its lands as if they were public lands.

 

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Housing and Water and Land that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2648, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2648, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Housing and Water and Land,

 

________________________________

KAIALI'I KAHELE, Chair

 

________________________________

STANLEY CHANG, Chair