Gov. Green issues 10th Emergency Proclamation Relating to Wildfires

Gov. Josh Green, M.D., signed the 10th Emergency Proclamation Relating to Wildfires, which contains amendments from previous versions aimed at increasing the availability of affordable housing for Maui residents, especially those displaced due to the deadly wildfires of Aug. 8, 2023.

Here are the notable changes:

• Removes price freezes for all commodities except rentals of residential dwellings.
• To ensure continued financial viability of affordable housing projects on Maui, provides an exception from the price freeze on rentals of residential dwellings for affordable housing projects subject to regulatory agreements relating to rent increases (e.g., affordable housing projects may increase rents in line with their regulatory agreements).
• Changes the suspension of chapter 6E to allow for construction of temporary housing for displaced victims with the approval of the State Historic Preservation Division.
• Suspends section 467-7, HRS, so that operators of state-owned temporary lodging for displaced victims and those assisting with wildfire recovery do not require a real estate license.
• Suspends sections 37-77 and 662-11, HRS, to allow the Attorney General to settle claims through the One ʻOhana Fund without legislative approval.

“The devastating loss of thousands of homes in the fires exacerbated Maui’s already untenable housing shortage,” said Gov. Green in a news release update. “We are making progress toward housing our displaced families and individuals on Maui and this new EP will help get them into long-term, stable homes for the first time since August.”

“We steadfastly believe that our overall strategy surrounding the One ʻOhana Fund is sound. We can be deliberate about the use of our financial management tools, that give us the capacity to address the relief we are offering to those who lost loved ones or were severely injured and maybe hospitalized because of the fires,” Gov. Green said.

A copy of the executed EP is attached and will be posted on the Emergency Proclamations page on the Governor’s website.

*Cover photo: Aerial view of the Lahaina wildfire aftermath. (8.11.23) PC: DLNR Hawaiʻi