Bill Text: HI HCR76 | 2019 | Regular Session | Introduced

Hawaii House Concurrent Resolution 76 (Prior Session Legislation)

Introduced

Bill Title: Requesting The Director Of The Office Of Planning To Establish Within The Office Of Planning An Agricultural Housing Task Force.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 9-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2019-03-22 - The committee(s) on AGR/HSG recommend(s) that the measure be deferred. [HCR76 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2019-HCR76-Introduced.html

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.C.R. NO.	76
THIRTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2019
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

REQUESTING THE DIRECTOR OF THE OFFICE OF PLANNING TO ESTABLISH WITHIN THE OFFICE OF PLANNING AN AGRICULTURAL HOUSING TASK FORCE.

WHEREAS, the State has the duty to conserve and protect agricultural lands, promote diversified agriculture, increase agricultural self-sufficiency, and assure the availability of agriculturally suitable lands, as required under article XI, section 3, of the Constitution of the State of Hawaii; and

WHEREAS, the State has made sustainability and self-sufficiency in agriculture and food supply a priority; and

WHEREAS, the overall lack of affordable housing in the State combined with the high cost of living contribute to the difficulty that farmers face in recruiting farm workers; and

WHEREAS, economically affordable, safe, and sanitary on-farm employee housing is critical so that working farms may attract and retain long-term and short-term farm workers; and

WHEREAS, existing laws governing construction of on-farm employee housing are complicated, confusing, and vary across the State; and

WHEREAS, on-farm housing is required to comply with different layers of federal regulations and state and county laws, ordinances, and administrative rules; and

WHEREAS, many of the laws, ordinances, and administrative rules governing construction of traditional residential housing units are ill-suited to the demands and economic realities of working farms; and

WHEREAS, existing laws, ordinances, administrative rules, and processes preclude farms from providing safe, sanitary, and affordable on-farm employee housing to attract and retain farmworkers, and stand as an obstacle to the State's agricultural self-sufficiency; and

WHEREAS, the Hawaii Farm Bureau believes that the shortage of affordable agricultural workforce housing is an impediment to attracting farmworkers who are necessary to expand agriculture in the State; and

WHEREAS, a streamlined process to develop farmworker housing will address the challenges of complying with state and county requirements, as well as federal regulations; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Thirtieth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2019, the Senate concurring, that the Director of the Office of Planning is requested to establish within the Office of Planning an Agricultural Housing Task Force for administrative purposes only; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the following individuals, or their respective designees, are requested to serve as members of the task force:

(1) The Director of the Office of Planning, who is requested to serve as the Chairperson;

(2) The Chairperson of the Board of Agriculture;

(3) The Deputy Director for Environmental Health, Department of Health;

(4) The Chairperson of the Land Use Commission;

(5) The directors of the county departments responsible for zoning and planning;

(6) Two members appointed by the President of the Senate, provided that the President is requested to invite one representative from an agricultural or farming association and one representative from a public interest organization that focuses on housing issues; and

(7) Two members appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, provided that the Speaker is requested to invite one representative from an agricultural or farming association and one representative from a public interest organization that focuses on housing issues; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the requested objectives of the Agricultural Housing Task Force is requested to:

(1) Analyze and provide recommendations to streamline existing laws, ordinances, administrative rules, and processes that may be applied consistently throughout the State to authorize the construction of safe and sanitary on-farm employee housing within agricultural districts and on farms that are engaged in agricultural production;

(2) Study existing state and county laws, ordinances, administrative rules, and processes for the construction of employee housing within agricultural districts in the State;

(3) Identify existing barriers in laws, rules, and processes that prohibit the construction of safe and affordable on-farm employee housing for farmworkers, including mobile units for temporary and seasonal farmworkers;

(4) Give special consideration to modular housing as a solution;

(5) Create a separate legal designation, as it relates to zoning, for homes with a permanent foundation and modular homes without a permanent foundation;

(6) Propose one master use application process, as well as laws and administrative rules, that could be applied consistently throughout the State for the construction of safe and affordable on-farm employee housing for farmworkers, including mobile units for temporary and seasonal farm workers; and

(7) Recommend changes to existing state laws, county ordinances, administrative rules, and processes as necessary; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED the Agricultural Housing Task Force is requested to prepare and submit to the Legislature:

(1) No later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2021, a preliminary report that includes a discussion of the objectives of the Agricultural Housing Task Force and its findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation;

(2) No later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2022, a draft guide that explains for the public's understanding and benefit the existing process for, and the laws and rules relating to, approval of employee housing in agricultural districts across the State, as proposed by the master use application process developed by the Agricultural Housing Task Force, including county ordinances that pertain to each locality; and

(3) No later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2025, a final report of its findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED the Office of Planning is requested to provide administrative and clerical support required by the Agricultural Housing Task Force; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED the Agricultural Housing Task Force shall cease to exist on June 30, 2025; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Governor; President of the Senate; Speaker of the House of Representatives; Director of the Office of Planning; Chairperson of the Board of Agriculture; Deputy Director for Environmental Health, Department of Health; Chairperson of the Land Use Commission; and directors of the county departments responsible for zoning and planning.