Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2006

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs and Energy, Environment, and International Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 3175 entitled:

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to establish environmental courts within the circuit court to handle complaints, administrative appeals, and other judicial proceedings of an environmental nature.

Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the Nature Conservancy of Hawaii. The Judiciary submitted testimony in opposition to this measure.

Your Committees find that environmental disputes are currently dealt with in a variety of courts. This organizational structure inadvertently promotes inconsistent application of a wide variety of environmental laws. The establishment of environmental courts within the circuit court system will promote and protect Hawaii's natural environment through consistent and uniform application of environmental laws.

Your Committees amended this measure to make technical changes and to change the effective date.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs and Energy, Environment, and International Affairs that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 3175, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 3175, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.