Our Priorities
Priority Bills for the 2023 Legislative Session
There are hundreds of bills related to affordable housing being heard during this legislation session. HiHAC works with their Policy Subcommittee to determine its priorities by ranking bills on their impact, equity, and political feasibility.
#1: Rent Assistance + Landlord-Tenant Mediation (HB1439)
There are an estimated 2,500 evictions filed each year across the state. Evictions are harmful to the landlords who rely on rent payments, to the tenants who lose their homes, and to our community—which incurs an estimated $30 million in costs for public and emergency services needed as a result of evictions. Hawaiʻi created one of the most successful eviction-prevention programs in the nation during the pandemic when it adopted two key tools for preserving housing stability—emergency rent relief and pre-litigation mediation (Act 57). Since 2020, the program kept tens of thousands families housed and reduced the court backlog of eviction cases. Despite the successes of this program in keeping tenants housed, Act 57 recently expired.
HB1439 will extend the program for at least one-additional year. The bill requires that tenants be offered pre-litigation mediation before an eviction for non-payment of rent can be filed. Participants in pre-litigation mediation will have exclusive access to a rent relief fund that can be used to help pay arrears and provide a $500 rent subsidy for a few months, buying the tenant time to get back to a more stable financial situation.
#2: Conveyance Tax Reform (SB362)
The state needs more permanent sources of funding for affordable housing and homeless services. One potential funding source is the conveyance tax, which is a one-time tax paid when someone transfers title of a property. As property values increase, homes become less affordable for local families. The conveyance tax rate has not kept pace with the increasing need for affordable housing, conservation, and houseless services. Many high cost cities and states have updated their conveyance tax rates in recent years to reflect these market trends and Hawaiʻi should consider doing the same.
SB362 has the potential to bring in hundreds of millions of dollars in new revenue to fund affordable housing by raising the conveyance tax on the sale of multi-million dollar properties. While this bill, in its current form, is a good place to start, there are several changes that could be made to strengthen the measure, including: adopting the tax rates contained in a now-deferred measure, SB678; creating a new special fund for houseless services, to which 10% of conveyance tax revenue would be allocated so the Department of Human Services to provide funding for non profits who work with the unhoused to hire additional staff members; and lifting the dollar figure cap on the land conservation fund’s 10% allocation.
Click here to sign a petition in support of conveyance tax reform
#3: Credit-Building for Renters (SB363)
Nearly 45 million adults in the United States have a limited credit history, including 26 million credit-invisible adults. Those with unequal access to mainstream credit may turn to predatory financial products and experience greater difficulty building wealth. Rent is the largest recurring monthly expense that many households pay. Having on-time payments reported to credit bureaus can help improve renters’ credit scores and can lead to improved economic mobility.
SB363 seeks to establish a rent credit-reporting pilot program where participating tenants may elect to have their rent payment information to generate and build credit.
#4: Tenants Bill of Rights (SB1463)
Tenants often lack knowledge about their rights regarding changes to leases, living standards, evictions, etc. In some circumstances, this can lead to renters being exploited through unlawful evictions, hikes in rental fees, unsafe and unsanitary living conditions, and other means. Evictions are particularly harmful and can lead to interrupted work and school, negative mental and physical impacts, and impaired legal records.
SB1463 seeks to establish legislation that compiles existing and new renter protections into one bill that is accessible, enforceable, and easy to understand for both renters and landlords. The bill currently includes provisions on just cause eviction, relocation support, rent stabilization, and establishing a Hawaiʻi Rental Board/Rent Stabilization Special Fund.