STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2129

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2023

RE: S.B. No. 1442

S.D. 2

H.D. 2

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2023

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Finance, to which was referred S.B. No. 1442, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO OHANA ZONES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to:

(1) Establish one position in the Office of the Governor to oversee the deployment of capital improvement funds appropriated by this measure;

(2) Appropriate funds for the Ohana Zones Pilot Program; and

(3) Make the Ohana Zones Pilot Program a government assistance program for the purposes of a general excise tax exemption for the development of affordable housing, under certain circumstances.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Human Services, Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation, State Council on Mental Health, one member of the Kaua‘i County Council, Partners in Care, and one individual. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Governor's Coordinator on Homelessness.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Changing the number of positions to oversee the deployment of capital improvement funds appropriated by this measure to an unspecified number; and

(2) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Finance that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1442, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1442, S.D. 2, H.D. 2.

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

____________________________

KYLE T. YAMASHITA, Chair