photo of the House Chamber during the State of the State address, courtesy the Office of the Governor.

(BIVN) – Governor Josh Green focused on the ongoing recovery on Maui, and making Hawaiʻi more livable for its residents, during his second State of the State address on Monday.

Governor Green delivered his speech from the podium of the House Chamber during a joint session of the Hawaiʻi State Legislature.

“Today I am here to report that — although we have faced great challenges and suffered even greater loss over the past year — we have come together as one ‘ohana to recover and to heal,” Governor Green said. “I am here to report that the state of Hawai‘i is strong.”

The Governor said he is aiming “make housing more available and affordable for Hawai‘i residents; to reduce homelessness and lower the cost of living in our state.”

Among the Governor’s proposals:

• Support for “any bill to help move short-term rentals and vacant investment properties owned by non-residents, into the local housing market to increase supply and bring down prices for Hawai‘i families.”
• A “House Hawai‘i’s ‘Ohana” plan that the Governor says “will provide exemptions from capital gains, conveyance, and general excise taxes to owners of short-term rentals who sell to a local resident, or who convert a home to a long-term rental to a local resident.”
• A child and dependent tax credit totaling up to $115 million annually for Hawai‘i families.
• Building as many as 20 new kauhale communities across the state, to reduce homelessness by 50% by 2026.
• A Climate Impact Fee on visitors
• Continued support for Maui recovery following the August fires

The Governor also touted his administration’s achievements during his first year in office, detailed in a news release: 

Phase one of the Green Affordability Plan, which in its first year provided $104 million in direct income tax relief to Hawai‘i’s ALICE families, who are Asset-Limited, Income-Constrained, (and) Employed. Some 44% of all families in our state are ALICE families, barely getting by. Sixty-three percent of all Hawaiian families fall into this category. The Phase One tax relief package supported working families by doubling Hawai‘i’s earned income tax credit and our food tax credit.

The teacher shortage was slashed by more than 50% in a single year after Governor Green successfully negotiated a new four-year contract with the Hawai‘i State Teachers Association and the 13,500 teachers it represents.

Some 10,800 new units of low-income housing for struggling families were immediately approved under the Emergency Proclamation on Housing. Attention is now focused on affordable housing projects in urban Honolulu and along the growing rail route.

The Build Beyond Barriers Working Group has also begun to reform housing bureaucracy, and has approved or accelerated multiple new projects that will bring thousands of homes to teachers, nurses, firefighters, and working families across the state in the coming years.

The Maui Recovery Fund was created in November by a coalition formed by the Governor. The fund, at $175 million so far, will rapidly provide funds to families who lost loved ones, or who suffered serious injuries in the fires.

In conjunction with the County of Maui the difficult decision was made to reopen West Maui to tourism, with the exception of Lahaina. As a result, just two weeks ago the Council on Revenues readjusted its economic projection up to 4% growth, from the previously projected 1.3% growth. This adds almost $500 million of revenue to our state, for taking on the greatest challenges that arise, including most importantly, housing survivors on Maui.

The state’s first medical respite kauhale, Pūlama Ola, was opened for a six-month pilot period, in the Governor’s backyard. The successful project’s lessons will be used at additional kauhale that will be opened around the state, using $33 million appropriated by state lawmakers at the Governor’s request.

The first significant gun buyback initiative in the state removed some 500 firearms from O‘ahu’s streets, and more are planned.