HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.C.R. NO.	227
TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2007
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

SUPPORTING THE CONTINUED VIABILITY OF KEWALO BASIN HARBOR BY TRANSFERRING and maintaining exclusive authority under THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION.

     WHEREAS, Kewalo Basin Harbor, the harbor area comprised of approximately fifty-five acres between Pier 2 and Pier 4 in the City and County of Honolulu, is home to a number and variety of small businesses, many of which are in the second generation of a family business, and who provide enjoyment to a great number of visitors through sport fishing, whale watching, eco-touring, parasailing, scuba diving, and commercial fishing; and

     WHEREAS, these activities render a healthy and enjoyable lifestyle to many of our citizens, providing them with a decent standard of living, while also investing in their future; and

     WHEREAS, many of the small businesses located in Kewalo Basin Harbor are engaged in business that have profits that fluctuate with the arrival of visitors to our islands and make very thin profit margins; and

     WHEREAS, Kewalo Basin Harbor has been under the authority of the Hawaii Community Development Authority (HCDA) since 1990; and

     WHEREAS, the HCDA has proposed fee and service increases, including higher mooring fees, new and increased parking charges, costly insurance requirements, and a higher assessment of excise fees on gross revenues that have startled Kewalo Harbor business owners, some of which have concluded that they would be forced out of business; and

     WHEREAS, the DOT has operated Kewalo Basin Harbor since statehood, continuing even after the transfer to the Hawaii Community Development Authority in 1990; now, therefore,

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-fourth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2007, the Senate concurring, that the HCDA and DOT are encouraged to begin discussions on the transfer and maintenance of exclusive authority over Kewalo Basin Harbor to the DOT; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the DOT is requested to submit a report to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2008, on how it will effectuate this transfer and maintenance of authority, including:

     (1)  Any budgetary ramifications that may be involved;

     (2)  Any additional funding requests it may require to effectuate the transfer and maintenance;

     (3)  A time frame under which the transfer and maintenance could be accomplished; and

     (4)  Any proposed legislation needed to finalize such a transfer and maintenance; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that HCDA is requested to abort its plans to implement fee increases immediately and to cooperate with the Department of Transportation in any way possible with the transfer and maintenance of authority; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Transportation and the Executive Director of the Hawaii Community Development Authority.

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title: 

Kewalo Basin Harbor; Transfer and Maintenance; DOT