State briefs for July 16

Kauai officials weigh ban on tobacco use while kids in car

LIHUE, Kauai (AP) — Kauai County officials approved a measure aimed at tackling secondhand smoke that would make it illegal for adults to smoke in their vehicles while minors are inside.

The county’s public works and parks and recreation committee voted unanimously Wednesday to recommend passing a bill that would implement the change.

County council members were divided on the issue. Those who voiced their support for the proposal praised it as a step toward “protecting our youth.” Council members against the legislation said efforts to reduce smoking should focus more on education and outreach, not legal enforcement.

The proposal will go before the full county council on July 29.

State plans for affordable housing community in Honolulu

HONOLULU (AP) — The state is moving forward with plans to build a community of more than 200 affordable housing units in Honolulu as part of an effort to address Hawaii’s homelessness problem.

The modular homes were purchased by Hawaii businessman Duane Kurisu in 2011, when they were used to house more than 5,000 people displaced by the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami victims in Japan. Kurisu is overseeing the development of the planned Kahauiki Village.

As part of the public-private partnership, the state agreed to lease the property for a $1 a year for the next 20 years. Honolulu is covering the $4 million needed to install water and sewer lines.

Families living in the modular homes will pay between $400 and $500 a month, which will go toward “maintenance, security, onsite management, a fund to make sure the houses look decent 10, 20-years from now,” Kurisu said.

He plans for the project to be modeled after old plantation communities.

Kurisu hopes to begin work on the first phase of homes by the beginning of 2017.