THE SENATE	S.R. NO.	157
THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2024
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE RESOLUTION

URGing the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs AND MAUI COUNTY to investigate and enforce APPLICABLE LAWS AGAINST landlords who are ending rental agreements to house FEMA‑eligible households through the direct lease program or the Department of Human Services rental ASSISTANCE program.

WHEREAS, nearly three thousand households were displaced by the August 2023 Maui wildfires; and

WHEREAS, the Legislature is examining potential tools for rent control in Maui County; and

WHEREAS, Maui is experiencing a housing crisis due to the lack of available units; and

WHEREAS, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the State are utilizing short-term housing through the Direct Lease Program, Rental Assistance Program, and non-congregate shelters to house both FEMA-eligible and ineligible households; and

WHEREAS, FEMA's Direct Lease Program has inflated the rental market by paying three hundred sixty-six percent above-market rates to landlords who will house FEMA-eligible households; and

WHEREAS, the Department of Human Services Rental Assistance Program (RAP) pays above-market rates to house FEMA ineligible households; and

WHEREAS, incidents have been reported on Maui where homeowners are not renewing lease agreements with existing tenants, displacing them to make room for FEMA-eligible households through the Direct Lease Program and the ineligible households supported through RAP; and

WHEREAS, these incidents have raised concerns about fairness, housing stability, and the impact on tenants who are being displaced; and

WHEREAS, the Governor's emergency proclamation established a moratorium on evictions in Lahaina; and

WHEREAS, the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs has a duty to investigate such incidents and ensure compliance with relevant regulations; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2024, that the Department of Commerce and Consumer and Affairs and Maui County are urged to investigate and enforce applicable laws against landlords who are ending rental agreements to house FEMA-eligible households through the Direct Lease Program or the Department of Human Services Rental Assistance Program; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Commerce and Consumer Affairs and the Mayor of the County of Maui.

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title:

Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Maui County, Housing, rental housing, landlords