Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2002

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Transportation, Military Affairs and Government Operations and Tourism and Intergovernmental Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 2306 entitled:

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to exempt structures and improvements to airports from county approvals and county special management area permits.

Testimony in support of this measure was received from the Department of Transportation (DOT). Testimony in opposition was received from the Honolulu Planning and Permitting Department, Hawaii County Planning Department, and Hawaii's Thousand Friends.

This measure is in response to the terrorists attacks of September 11, 2001, necessitating additional airport construction and improvements to meet new federal security standards and security in general. Obtaining county approvals for airport construction projects is a time consuming process that delays capital improvement projects. Your Committees believe that county approvals should give way to the exigencies of providing secure airports. Your Committees find that the greater good of the public outweighs the building and permitting requirements of the counties. However, your Committees request the DOT to be mindful of and to voluntarily comply with county requirements, even though exempted by this measure.

Your Committees have amended this measure, as a reasonable compromise, to clarify that the exemption from county special management area permits applies when necessary to comply with federal security requirements, including compliance with the Aviation Transportation and Security Act of 2001.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Transportation, Military Affairs and Government Operations and Tourism and Intergovernmental Affairs that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2306, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2306, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.