STAND. COM. REP. NO.  63-08

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2008

RE:   H.B. No. 2531

      H.D. 1

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2008

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Transportation, to which was referred H.B. No. 2531 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE WEST MAUI TRANSPORTATION ACCESS PLAN,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to protect the health, safety, and well being of the residents of West Maui by establishing an informal, temporary West Maui transportation access plan working group within the Department of Transportation (DOT) to develop an access plan that addresses road closures in West Maui.

     Maui Land and Pineapple Company, Inc., Lahaina Bypass Now, and several concerned individuals testified in support of this bill.  DOT supported the intent of this measure.  The State Procurement Office did not support this bill.  Maui Unite opposed this measure.

     Many rural areas around the State of Hawaii are accessible by a single roadway or highway.  One of those areas, West Maui, is only accessible through one major highway.  Closure of this highway can occur at a moment's notice due to incidents that do not rise to the level of a major emergency.  In fact, over the last couple of years, the highway has been closed for extensive periods due to wildfires in the area.  These closures have resulted in the residents of West Maui being effectively "cut off" from the rest of the island.

     Your Committee understands the concerns raised by DOT that although their responsibility consists of maintaining the highway leading into West Maui, disaster planning is better accomplished by a county civil defense agency.  Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Requiring the Maui Civil Defense Agency, rather than               DOT, to establish and coordinate the informal, temporary      West Maui transportation access plan working group to              develop an access plan that addresses road closures in          West Maui;

     (2)  Establishing the expending agency for the appropriated         funds as the County of Maui, rather than DOT; and

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

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Transportation that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2531, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2531, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

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

____________________________

JOSEPH M. SOUKI, Chair