Bill Text: HI SR142 | 2021 | Regular Session | Introduced

---

Bill Title: Requesting The Legislative Reference Bureau To Conduct A Study Regarding Affordable Housing In The County Of Maui.

Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 9-1)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2021-03-16 - Referred to GVO/HOU. [SR142 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2021-SR142-Introduced.html

---

THE SENATE	S.R. NO.	142
THIRTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2021
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE RESOLUTION

 

 

Requesting the Legislative Reference Bureau to conduct a study regarding affordable housing in the County of Maui.

 

 

 

     WHEREAS, the shortage of available housing in the State has become a crisis that continues to worsen every year as the demand for housing continues to grow far more rapidly than supply; and

 

     WHEREAS, in addition, the cost of housing continues to grow faster than the State's median income, resulting in more Hawaii residents being priced out of the housing market; and

 

     WHEREAS, stable housing is the foundation for a strong middle class; and

 

     WHEREAS, if the State fails to address this issue, more residents will be forced to move away from Hawaii to obtain housing they can afford; and

 

     WHEREAS, an October 2020 report from the University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization warned that more Hawaii residents were moving to the mainland in the wake of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, accelerating a trend that was already occurring due to the State's high cost of living and lack of affordable housing; and

 

     WHEREAS, although the housing shortage is widely recognized statewide, the need for housing is of particularly great concern to the residents of the County of Maui; and

 

     WHEREAS, as Hawaii rebuilds its economy from the COVID-19 pandemic, it is essential that the State use its limited resources to efficiently and effectively grow the available affordable housing inventory so that housing will be available for the residents of the County of Maui and their families; and

 

     WHEREAS, better information is needed to understand how to tackle the affordable housing shortage; and

 

     WHEREAS, policymakers need to know the number of housing units and types of housing that are currently available, the number of housing units that are currently being constructed, and what future housing projects are currently being planned; and

 

     WHEREAS, moneys used to construct affordable housing comes from a variety of sources, including federal, state, county, and private sources; and

 

     WHEREAS, to create an effective housing plan, policymakers must know how those different funding sources are being allocated and utilized; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-first Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2021, that the Legislative Reference Bureau is requested to conduct a study regarding affordable housing in the County of Maui; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislative Reference Bureau is requested to include in the study:

 

     (1)  A quantification of moneys expended by the County of Maui for affordable housing;

 

     (2)  The sources of funds expended, including the amount from federal, state, county, and private sources;

 

     (3)  The total number of available affordable housing units in the County of Maui:

 

     (4)  The total number of available housing units in the County of Maui, including a breakdown by:

 

          (A)  Number of single-family homes, further subdivided by number of bedrooms; and

 

          (B)  Number of condominium homes, further subdivided by number of bedrooms;

 

     (5)  The total number of housing units and residential developments that are planned to be constructed in the County of Maui, including what percentage of the units proposed to be built are considered affordable; and

 

     (6)  Whether there are policies in place that hinder the availability of affordable housing in the County of Maui; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislative Reference Bureau may consult with any person or agency in the preparation of the report; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED every agency of the State and its political subdivisions are requested to provide to the Legislative Reference Bureau any specific data, information, and assistance that the Bureau requests for the purpose of the study; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislative Reference Bureau is requested to submit a report of its findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2022; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a certified copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the Director of the Legislative Reference Bureau.

 

 

 

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title:

County of Maui; Affordable Housing Inventory; Legislative Reference Bureau; Report to Legislature