Relating To The Hawaii Housing Finance And Development Corporation.
Summary
SB771 amends the Hawaii Revised Statutes governing the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation (HHFDC) Board of Directors. The bill removes the existing requirement that the board chairperson be a public member and also deletes the prohibition that the director of business, economic development, and tourism, the director of finance, and the governor’s representative may not serve as chairperson. As amended, the board would continue to choose its chairperson and vice chairperson from among its members, but with broader eligibility for the chair role.
The measure is a narrow governance change focused on board leadership qualifications rather than housing program operations, financing tools, or eligibility for housing assistance. It would alter the internal structure of HHFDC board administration and could allow more flexibility in selecting a chairperson, including from among currently excluded ex officio or government-affiliated members. The bill’s effective date is set for July 1, 3000, which means the change is not intended to take effect in the near term as drafted.
Impact
If enacted, SB771 would amend section 201H-3, Hawaii Revised Statutes, by changing the eligibility rules for the HHFDC Board of Directors chairperson. It would repeal statutory language requiring the chair to be a public member and remove the specific disqualifications for the director of business, economic development, and tourism, the director of finance, and the governor’s representative. The practical effect would be to broaden the pool of board members who may serve as chair, while leaving the board’s overall composition and core statutory responsibilities intact.
Sentiment
The available voting history suggests the bill was received favorably in committee. It passed the Senate Housing Committee unanimously, 4-0, and later passed the Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously, 5-0, both without amendment. No committee transcripts are provided, so there is no recorded floor or committee debate to indicate opposition or support beyond the unanimous votes. Overall, the bill appears to have been noncontroversial among the committees that considered it.
Contention
Because there are no committee transcripts, specific objections are not documented. The only potentially contentious issue apparent from the text is the removal of safeguards that reserved the chair position for a public member and excluded certain executive-branch officials from serving as chair. Supporters may view this as a flexibility or governance modernization measure, while critics could see it as reducing independence or concentrating influence within the HHFDC board. However, the unanimous committee votes suggest no significant opposition was expressed in the available record.
Requesting The Department Of Transportation, In Coordination With The Hawaii Housing Finance And Development Corporation, To Convene A Working Group To Evaluate The Feasibility Of Establishing State-owned Or State-controlled Warehouse And Logistics Facilities Near Ports, Harbors, And Airports To Reduce Material Costs Associated With Publicly Financed Housing Projects.