Senate Standing Committee on Health and Human Services

Thank you. We're convening our triple joint committee with Energy Intergovernmental Affairs, our friends from the Health and Human Services Committee, and our other set of friends from the Committee on Housing on this Thursday, March 19 at 01:05 or so in Room 225. This hearing is being streamed live on YouTube. If we have any kind of, mishaps, we will post a hearing notice as to when we will reconvene. We ask that we hold testimony to one minute.

We have one bill on this agenda, that being house bill 1700 HD 1 relating to housing. First on our testifiers list, we have Daintry Bartholdus.

Aloha, chairs, committee members. My name is Jay Sober here on behalf of Daintree Bartolos for the Hawaii State Council on Developmental Disabilities. We'll stand our written testimony and support. While we're not gonna be your experts on housing in the technical sense, we are know, our standing anchor for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and we're always good at increasing housing for them.

Thank you so much.

We have the karaoke audio on today. Anyone from, Navy Inn Hawaii? That's all I have for those who've indicated the desire to testify. Is there anyone else in the room that would like to please come forward?

Good morning, chair, vice chair, and committee members. My name is Kai Swan. I'm a self advocate for Oahu. I I strongly support HB 700. Housing is a big issue with disability in Hawaii. Not everyone's lucky as I I am to have a mom who lets me live with her. She helps support me. Many people with disability are still waiting for housing. Housing project take long time because of permits. This bill helps those project move forward faster.

More housing means more independence and more choices for people with disabilities. Everyone deserve the chance to live in the community. Not everyone just like one like me. Please pass HB 7170. Mahalo, the opportunity to testify. Please don't let me have any questions. Mahalo.

Thank you, mister Swan. Is there anyone else wishing to testify? Members, any questions of those who are here? If not, we're gonna take a very brief recess prior to taking the vote. Thank Thank you for your patience.

We are reconvening our triple joint committee. Subject of our hearing today is HB 1700 HD 1. The two other or three chairs have conferred, and we'd like to make two substantive changes to this, bill. Appreciate the input from the Aloha Independent Living Hawaii, testimony. And in their testimony, they suggested, and we would like to adopt, that any kind of expediting permitting is not gonna compromise Americans with Disabilities Act or the Fair Housing Act, and to make sure that, we've explicitly put that into into the language of the bill.

Second Amendment would be to, use this as a as a model, and we're establishing are gonna establish reporting requirements during this period to get data, number, type, geographic distribution, and have the ability to evaluate, this program as it moves forward. So those are the two suggested amendments to this measure. Any discussion? If not, Senator Chang, I vote yes.

Chair's recommendation for HB 1700 is to pass with amendments. Chair votes yes. Vice chair votes aye. Senator DeCoite is excused. Senator Richards. Aye. Senator Fevella is also excused. The recommendation is adopted.

Thank you.

For health and human services saying recommendation vice chair for the vote. Chair votes aye.

Okay. 1700 HD 1 recommendation of the Senate draft noting the presence of myself, chair, and senator Kanuha. All of this excusing. Anybody else? No. Seeing none, recognition adopted.

And for the committee on housing, the same recommendation for HB 1700. Pass with the police.

HB 1700. Treasurer's information. Management chair votes aye vice chair votes aye. Senator Alefantis. Aye. Senator Rhodes. Aye. Senator Fevella's excused chair. Recommendation's adopted.

Great. Thank you for the expedited hearing.

Good afternoon, and welcome. We are now on the 01:06pm agenda of the joint committees on housing and health and human services. Our first measure today is going to be HB 1777 HD2 relating to housing, which requires developers developing a housing project under HHFDC to assist certain tenants who are subject to displacement or eviction by the proposed project by granting those tenants the right of offer of first offer of a comparable unit in a housing project, providing replacement housing payments, providing information, either directly or through a contracted service, on how to obtain assistance and exercise the right of first offer, and establishing procedures to track and maintain communication for those tenants establishes consequences for developers' noncompliance. First testifier for this measure is HHFDC in support. Thank you.

Office of Hawaiian Affairs in support.

Aloha chair, vice chair, and members of the committees. My name is Kamaile Pulole Metro with the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. The Office of Hawaiian Affairs stands in support of HB 1777 HD 2, as it establishes the clear and fair baseline that when public resources are used to support housing development, tenant protection should not be an option. Across the state, we are seeing redevelopment projects move forward using public subsidies and HRS 201 h exemptions. But too often, those projects result in the displacement of existing residents.

When unit counts may increase, then new units are frequently priced at levels that original tenants cannot afford to return to. So this results in truly non accessible housing. For native Hawaiians, this impact is especially severe displacement can mean losing multi generational homes, support systems, and connections to communities in place. HB 1777 HD two helps address this by requiring basic safeguards, like the rate of first offer and immaturing tenants have the fair opportunity to return. We can and we should pursue pursue housing production in a way that does not leave communities behind.

For these reasons, OHA supports this bill. Mahalo for the opportunity.

Thank you. Our next testifier is parents and children together in support.

Aloha, Trisha Kajimura for parents and children together in support of this measure. PACT, my organization, was started in and founded by residents of public housing. And we worked alongside of some of them who are impacted by the relocation of KPT low rise units phase one recently. We were painfully aware that it didn't go smoothly for many of them, and we feel that this bill can help in future redevelopment and relocation efforts as there are, you know, a number that are scheduled to come. And so we can take what has happened with KPT Lowrise phase one and the lessons learned with our clients and hopefully apply that so that it goes more smoothly for the tenants of the future redevelopment projects.

Thank you.

Thank you. Number of other organizations in support, ACLU of Hawaii, ARP Hawaii, Hawaii organization for progress and equity, Hawaii Appleseed Center for Law and Economic Justice, Kokuak Kalihi Valley, Hawaii Yimbi, Hawaii Children's Action Network speaks, adult friends for youth, Adlo Hai Independent Living Hawaii. We have Medical Legal Partnership for Children in Hawaii in support. Niall Hawaii Chapter with comments. Comments also from Avalon Development Company and support from William Caron, council member Kipukai Kuali, Dameileen Willets, Rana Kimor, Diane Matsura, Rona Manga Yayam, Dylan Pilger, and Mona Baumgar.

Is there anyone else wishing to testify on House Bill 1777? If not, Members, do you have any questions or comments? Okay. If not, we'll move on to House Bill 1975, HD 1, relating to Kupuna housing. Repeals a sunset for the state rent supplement program for Kupuna, appropriates funds to HPHA for the state rent supplement program for Kupuna and for positions to support the program.

Our first testifier is HPHA in support. Thank you. Office of Hawaiian Affairs in support. Executive Office on Aging in support. Palehua Townhouses Association in support. Catholic Charities Hawaii in support.

Aloha, Chairs and Vice Chair. I'm Betty Lou Larson with Catholic Charities Hawaii. We strongly support this bill. We have a housing assistance program that counsels seniors about housing. And more and more, just the seniors can't afford housing. They're being, rents are going up, etcetera. We had a case where a gentleman was able to get this through us and then had a year of surgeries.

But he kept his housing because of the Social Security and this housing, this subsidy of $500 a month that made him able to stay there and not become homeless in the middle of all his surgeries. So this is really a needed program, and we support the positions that are in this bill for HPHA so that they can maintain this program on a permanent basis. Thank you very much for listening to this bill.

Thank you. AARP Hawaii in support. Aloha Independent Living Hawaii in support. LeadingAge Pacific West in support, Kauai County Council Vice Chair KipuKai Kuali‘i in support, Jane Sugimura, Raelene Tenno, Johnnie-Mae Perry, Christine L. Andrews, and Veronica Moore, all in support. Is there anyone else wishing to testify on House Bill 1975? If not, are there any questions? If not, we'll take a short recess and we'll be back for decision making.

Alright. Welcome back. The joint committees on housing and health and human services are back for decision making. Our first item is HB 1777 relating to housing. Having conferred chair's recommendation, we to pass this measure with amendments to insert the contents of SB 2957 SD one, which was the Senate companion to this measure.

We'll rename further we'll rename the working group to the tenant protection working group. And further, the tenant protect we'll insert the language. The tenant protection working group shall address tenant protection issues in the state, including but not limited to a proactive plan to protect the tenants of the 14,000 units of temporarily affordable light tech housing statewide and prevent the development of more temporarily affordable housing, develop enough housing to meet demand statewide that minimizes tenant displacement and maximize the efficient use of public funds and public lands. In addition to the committee report, we'll note the dubious effect of creating two classes of tenants, those who are being relocated for a 201 h dash 38 development, creating workforce housing for local people, often being financed by state taxpayer dollars who will receive benefits versus a totally private redevelopment, creating only luxury units for wealthy investors who will get nothing. We'll further note that the HPHA KPT low rise redevelopment did in fact provide everything required in this bill, including relocation to a comparable unit.

Yet the process was far from smooth and the tenants residents still raised a number of issues and concerns as reflected in the testimony to this bill. And finally, we'll note the request for an appropriation of $75,000 for working group expenses. Members, are there any questions for discussion? If not, for the Committee on Housing, chair's recommendation for HB 1777 will be to pass with amendments. Chair votes aye.

Members HB 1777 chair's recommendations, pass with amendments. Any members voting with reservations? Any members voting no, noting the excuse of senator Fevella. Chair, recommendation is adopted. Thank you.

For health and human services, same, recommendation. Pass with amendments. Last two.

Alright. 1777 HD 2, recommendations of Senate draft one. Knowing the presence of myself and you and senator Kanuha, all is excused. Any WRs? No. Seeing none. Recommendation adopted.

Our second bill today is HB 1975, HD 1, relating to kupuna housing. Having conferred, Chair's recommendation we pass this measure with amendments. We'll take SMAs amendment to replace, sorry, to address the conflicting number of positions on page two, line 11 to add in the number for two positions and will further defect the date. Any questions or discussions? Okay. If not, for HB 1975, HD 1, Chair's recommendation we pass with amendments. Chair votes aye.

Members, HB 1975, Chair's recommendation is pass with amendment. Chair votes aye. Any Members voting with reservations? Any Members voting no? With all others voting an aye with excuse of Senator Fevella, the recommendation is adopted.

Same recommendation for HHS. Vice Chair for the vote.

Okay. 1975, House Draft 1, recommendation Senate Draft 1. Noting the excused absences of the Members previously. Seeing none. Recommendation adopted.

further business, this agenda is adjourned. Good afternoon. Welcome back. We are now on the 107 agenda of deferred decision making on HB 1715 HD 1 relating to affordable housing, which authorizes HHFDC to designate certain for sale units as permanently affordable housing subject to certain restrictions, clarifies that certain resale and occupancy restrictions apply only to projects developed prior to a certain date, amends the definition of qualified residence resident for the purposes of HHFDC housing development programs. So we've previously already heard this measure and we'll be, making, the recommendation today to well, we'll be making a decision today.

And so the chair's recommendation will be to pass this measure with amendments. We'll take HHFDC's suggestion to allow ownership of other real property for only one year after buying one of these homes and otherwise restore the ban on ownership of another home. That's five on pages four to five, and that's from SB 2070 s d one. We'll also make it clear that this program will apply to the majority of project units under HRS 2-38, replacing existing requirements to have a ten year buyback restriction, also from two SB 2070 SD 1. We'll further take, the suggested language from the attorney general and HHFDC to add to subsection c of the bill.

And what is now subsection c will be changed to subsection d. The restrictions prescribed in this section shall be automatically extinguished and shall not attach in subsequent transfers of title when a mortgage holder or other party becomes the owner of any permanently affordable unit pursuant to a mortgage foreclosure, foreclosure under power of sale, or a conveyance in lieu of foreclosure after foreclosure action is commenced. Further, we'll note in the committee report the mortgage banker association's concerns, but also HHFDC's response that HHFDC's ten year buyback and shared appreciation restrictions are also secured by restrictive covenants, and this has never created a cloud on title and the addition of amendment of an amendment out of an abundance of caution. Members, do we have any questions or, discussion? K.

If not, again, for HB 1715 HD1, chair's recommendation is to pass with amendments. Chair votes aye.

Members, Members HB 1715 HD one. Chair's recommendation is passed with amendments. Chair votes aye. Any members voting with reservations? Any members voting no. Without others voting, aye. With the excuse of senator Fevella, recommendation is adopted.

Thank you very much. There being no further business, this hearing is adjourned.