STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1859

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2007

RE:   S.B. No. 907

      S.D. 2

      H.D. 2

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Finance, to which was referred S.B. No. 907, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO AEROSPACE DEVELOPMENT,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to position Hawaii to take part in the aerospace industry by:

(1)  Renaming the Office of Space Industry, the Office of Aerospace Development (Aerospace Office);

     (2)  Expanding the duties of the Aerospace Office to include the identification and promotion of opportunities for expanding and diversifying aerospace-related industries in the state; and

     (3)  Appropriating funds to operate the Aerospace Office and establish and operate a Pacific International Space Center for Exploration Systems (PISCES).

     The University of Hawaii at Hilo (UHH), UHH Department of Physics and Astronomy, UHH Conference Center, former Governor George Ariyoshi, Space Portal, ROCKETPLANE KISTLER INC., Japan-United States Science, Technology and Space Applications Program, JAMSS America, Inc., Enterprise Honolulu, SpacePartnerships.com, Hawaii Island Economic Development Board, Inc., Center for Space Resources, Space Research Institute of Auburn University and a concerned individual testified in support of this bill.  The Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism, submitted comments.

     Your Committee has amended this bill by:

(1)  Appropriating funds to support the development of studies that would provide a detailed environmental and safety analysis to certify that spaceplanes can be launched safely from Hawaii, which may be required to obtain a commercial spaceport license from the Federal Aviation Administration; and

(2)  Making, technical, nonsubstantive amendments for clarity, consistency, and style.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Finance that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 907, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 907, S.D. 2, H.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Finance,

____________________________

MARCUS R. OSHIRO, Chair