WHEREAS, in recognition of the fact that the vast majority of all goods consumed in the State are imported and transported intrastate through our commercial harbors; and

WHEREAS, the carrying capacity of our harbors, particularly with regard to cargo container storage, is near maximum capacity; and

WHEREAS, over ten years ago during the 1995 Regular Session, the Eighteenth Legislature adopted Senate Resolution No. 214, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, requesting the Governor to convene a task force to determine the advantages and disadvantages of establishing a state port authority having jurisdiction over our commercial harbors and airport facilities; and

WHEREAS, the Governor-appointed task force determined that the advantages of establishing a port authority outweighed the disadvantages and recommended specific parameters for a further study to determine the model for the port authority; and

WHEREAS, during the Regular Session of 2005, House Bill No. 219 was introduced providing for the establishment of a Hawaii Port Authority having jurisdiction over all commercial harbors and airport facilities; and

WHEREAS, House Bill No. 219 would: establish the Hawaii Port Authority as a body corporate and a special political subdivision of the State; and in anticipation of the vast need for harbor infrastructure improvements and the necessity of large bond issues to finance those improvements, place the Hawaii Port Authority in the Department of Budget and Finance for administrative purposes; and

WHEREAS, House Bill No. 219 set forth, in detail, the specific powers of the Hawaii Port Authority; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2006, that the Department of Budget and Finance is requested to review House Bill No. 219 and determine the feasibility of establishing a Hawaii Port Authority, similar to that envisioned in House Bill No. 219, except to give the Hawaii Port Authority jurisdiction over the State's commercial harbors only, and not the State's airport facilities; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Budget and Finance is requested to analyze whether additional bonding authority or other innovative means of financing major harbor improvements should be considered in House Bill No. 219; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Budget and Finance is requested to report back to the Legislature not later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2007, on the feasibility of establishing the Hawaii port authority as envisioned in House Bill No. 219 for Hawaii's commercial harbors, along with recommendations, including proposed amendments to House Bill No. 219 or other proposed legislation; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to Director of Finance and the Director of Transportation.

Report Title:

Department of Budget and Finance; Hawaii Port Authority