Bill Text: HI SB1116 | 2013 | Regular Session | Amended

Hawaii Senate Bill 1116 (Prior Session Legislation)

Bill Title: Hawaii Public Housing Authority; Definition of Public Housing Project

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2013-02-20 - Referred to HSG, FIN, referral sheet 27 [SB1116 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2013-SB1116-Amended.html

STAND. COM. REP. NO. 127

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 1116

S.D. 1

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2013

State of Hawaii

Madam:

Your Committee on Human Services, to which was referred S.B. No. 1116 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO DEFINITION OF PUBLIC HOUSING PROJECT,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to expand the definition of "public housing project", "housing project", or "complex" to include all potential properties that could be managed by a public housing agency under United States Department of Housing and Urban Development regulations.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Human Services, Hawaii Public Housing Authority, and Community Alliance for Mental Health.

Your Committee finds that current state law uses an inaccurate and overly limiting definition of the term "public housing project" for the purposes of the federal low-income public housing program. Under the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development regulations, public housing agencies are authorized to administer a variety of federally assisted housing beyond simply "public housing". Since the Hawaii Public Housing Authority is the only public housing agency in Hawaii, the definition of public housing should correspond to the Department of Housing and Urban Development's definition of housing to enable the Authority to administer any of the housing programs that fall under that definition.

Your Committee further finds that current state law uses the term "federal low-rent public housing program", which does not accurately reflect the program as being income-based. The term "low-income public housing" is based on the Department of Housing and Urban Development income limits and not controlled rents. By linking the statutory definition to the Department of Housing and Urban Development rule, any expansion or addition of federally assisted housing options to the Department of Housing and Urban Development rule would be incorporated into the Hawaii Public Housing Authority's program administration.

Your Committee has amended this measure by 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 Human Services that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1116, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1116, S.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Human Services,

____________________________

SUZANNE CHUN OAKLAND, Chair