STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2337

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 3120

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2024

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Housing, to which was referred S.B. No. 3120 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE HAWAII PUBLIC HOUSING AUTHORITY,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Establish, exempt from chapter 76, Hawaii Revised Statutes, the position of a Housing Policy and Program Coordinator in the Hawaii Public Housing Authority, whose salary shall be set by the Executive Director of the Hawaii Public Housing Authority (HPHA);

(2) Clarify that the employment of certain positions and the adjustment of salaries are authorized by the Executive Director and not the Board of Directors of the HPHA; and

(3) Repeal the wage ceiling requirement for positions in the HPHA.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaii Public Housing Authority.

Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Hawaii Government Employees Association, AFSCME Local 152, AFL-CIO and one individual.

Your Committee finds that the State has an ambitious mandate to increase the supply of affordable housing units to address its current chronic housing shortage. The HPHA is the state agency tasked with promoting and ensuring the availability of housing, economic opportunity, and suitable living environment for low-income individuals and families. As the HPHA fulfills its ambitious mandate, the HPHA requires additional staffing resources to research and execute program rules for various state and federal subsidized housing programs. Therefore, this measure clarifies organizational roles within the HPHA to ensure effective, streamlined operations that will support efforts to address the ongoing housing shortage.

Your Committee notes the concerns raised in testimony questioning the need to exempt this proposed position from chapter 76, Hawaii Revised Statutes, if civil service employees already provide the services of the position. According to your Committee's discussion with the HPHA during the public hearing on this measure, existing positions within the HPHA are also exempt from civil service requirements. Additionally, the requirements of the proposed Housing Policy and Program Coordinator are specialized, as the role will need a candidate with experience in the Section 8 program, the federal low-income public housing program, the Moving-to-Work Demonstration Program and other subsidized housing programs. This position, therefore, does not not fit into an existing civil service class. The HPHA further noted that civil service employees do not currently perform the work of the proposed position.

Your Committee has amended this measure by making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Housing that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 3120, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 3120, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Housing,

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STANLEY CHANG, Chair