STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1408-24

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2024

RE: H.C.R. No. 118

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2024

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Housing, to which was referred H.C.R. No. 118 entitled:

"HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE HAWAII HOUSING FINANCE AND DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION TO ADOPT ADMINISTRATIVE RULES THAT PREEMPT THE COUNTIES FROM IMPOSING RESIDENTIAL INCOME REQUIREMENTS ON HOUSING PROJECTS SUBJECT TO SECTION 201H-38, HAWAII REVISED STATUTES, THAT ARE LOWER THAN THOSE ADOPTED OR ESTABLISHED BY THE STATE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to request the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation to adopt administrative rules that preempt the counties from imposing residential income requirements on housing projects that are lower than those adopted or established by the State.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation.

Your Committee finds that there are inconsistencies with housing regulations between the State and each county, placing stress on residents and housing developers. Your Committee further finds that the State already has one of the highest levels of regulations on housing development and these inconsistencies add to the onerous process of building housing throughout the State. Your Committee believes that any inconsistency between the State and counties should be remedied by ensuring that the counties do not implement stricter requirements for the development of housing than the requirements set by the State.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Urging the counties to adopt or amend ordinances to be consistent with the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation's rules regarding residential income requirements on housing projects, instead of requesting Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation to amend their rules to preempt the counties from imposing stricter income requirements;

(2) Deleting language that would have requested the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation to amend its application process for developers seeking expedited processing and exemptions to preempt any affordability threshold criteria of any county;

(3) Amending the recipients of certified copies of this measure;

(4) Amending its title in accordance with its amended purpose; and

(5) 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 Housing that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of H.C.R. No. 118, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to your Committee on Finance in the form attached hereto as H.C.R. No. 118, H.D. 1.

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

____________________________

LUKE A. EVSLIN, Chair