STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2515

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2836

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. 2836 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO MAUI'S PERMANENT HOUSING RECOVERY,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Appropriate funds and establish within the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism the Interagency Council for Maui Housing Recovery to coordinate and facilitate Maui's permanent housing recovery and facilitate consultation and collaboration between state and county agencies on housing recovery initiatives for the island of Maui; and

(2) Designate the Executive Director of the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation to serve as chair of the council.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation, Office of Planning and Sustainable Development, Maui Chamber of Commerce, one member of the Maui County Council, and one individual.

Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Office of the Governor, Hawaii Public Housing Authority, and one individual.

Your Committee finds that, as one of the largest landowners on the island of Maui, the State must be proactive in coordinating planning and development efforts among public agencies to maximize the benefits derived from the development and redevelopment of Maui's public lands following the August 2023 Maui wildfires. Your Committee also finds that effective coordination between federal, state and county government agencies, as well as the Maui community, is essential in aiding Maui's recovery. This measure creates a council that will facilitate the communication among the entities that are assisting in that effort, thereby streamlining the permanent housing recovery process.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Requiring the council to work with Maui-based businesses to the greatest extent possible;

(2) Inserting the State Disaster Recovery Coordinator and the recovery support functions identified by the Governor, with their corresponding state leads, as members of the council;

(3) Clarifying that a Hawaiian cultural advisor, rather than a cultural specialist, be included as a member of the council; and

(4) 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. 2836, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2836, 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