HB1428 appropriates state general funds to the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation (HHFDC) for fiscal years 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 to support HUD-certified housing counseling agencies. The bill is aimed at expanding housing counseling, renter education, homebuyer education, and eviction and foreclosure intervention services, with a particular focus on households at or below 140% of area median income, including ALICE households (asset limited, income constrained, employed). The measure is framed as a response to Hawaii’s housing affordability crisis and the need for more supportive services to help residents secure and maintain stable housing.
The bill also requires HHFDC to report to the Legislature by November 1, 2027 on the agencies that receive funding, the number of clients served, the types of services delivered, and outcomes such as improved financial knowledge, whether clients’ housing situations fit their needs, whether they created financial plans, and whether they have access to needed resources. In addition to funding service delivery, the reporting requirement is intended to give lawmakers information for future policy decisions and any proposed legislation.
In terms of impact on state law, HB1428 would create a new state appropriation and administrative program within HHFDC for distributing funds to qualifying housing counseling agencies. It does not appear to amend existing housing statutes directly, but it would expand the state’s role in financing preventive housing services and formalize a legislative oversight mechanism through the required report. The bill would affect HHFDC, HUD-certified counseling providers, and the low- to moderate-income households they serve.
The general sentiment reflected in the bill text and available vote history is supportive. The findings section strongly endorses housing counseling as a practical tool to reduce eviction, foreclosure, homelessness, and barriers to self-sufficiency, and the Senate Housing committee passed the measure with amendments by a 4-0 vote. There is no recorded committee transcript showing opposition, but the inclusion of a delayed effective date suggests the bill may have been adjusted during the process.
Notable points of contention are limited in the available record. The main policy questions appear to be the scope of funding, how broadly services should be targeted, and whether the state should prioritize ALICE households and households up to 140% of area median income. The bill also leaves the appropriation amount blank in the text provided, which suggests funding levels were still being negotiated or finalized at the time of the version shown.
HB1428 would appropriate state general revenues to HHFDC for allocation to HUD-certified housing counseling agencies and would establish a reporting requirement to the Legislature on service delivery and outcomes. It would not directly rewrite existing housing law, but it would create a new funding stream and oversight framework for counseling, renter education, homebuyer education, and eviction/foreclosure prevention services targeted to ALICE and other low- to moderate-income households.
The available record indicates generally favorable sentiment. The bill’s findings present housing counseling as an important anti-homelessness and housing-stability strategy, and the Senate Housing committee advanced the measure unanimously, 4-0, with amendments. No opposing testimony or recorded debate is included in the provided materials.
No major opposition is documented in the provided record. The likely areas of policy discussion are the size and duration of the appropriation, the focus on households at or below 140% of area median income, and the delayed effective date of July 1, 2050, which is unusual and may reflect a drafting or procedural issue. The reporting requirements and performance measures may also have been intended to address concerns about accountability and program effectiveness.