STAND. COM. REP. NO. 581

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 801

       S.D. 1

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committees on Economic Development and Taxation and Energy and Environment, to which was referred S.B. No. 801 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO ESTABLISHMENT OF NATURAL ENERGY LABORATORY OF HAWAII AUTHORITY INNOVATION CORPORATION,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to establish the Natural Energy Laboratory of the Hawaii Innovation Corporation.

     Comments were submitted by the Department of Accounting and General Services, and the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority.  Testimony in opposition to this measure was submitted by the State Procurement Office.

     Your Committees find that the purpose of the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority (NELHA) is to facilitate research, development, and commercialization of natural energy resources and ocean-related research, technology, and industry in Hawaii through retail, commercial, or tourism activities that will financially support that research, development, and commercialization.

     Your Committees further find that the NELHA Innovation Corporation would be responsible for supporting and managing NELHA, and promoting and marketing Hawaii as a location for research and commercial natural energy activities.

     It is the intent of your Committees to support the increased self-sufficiency for NELHA that this measure would provide.

     Your Committees have amended this measure to insert an effective date of July 1, 2025, for the purposes of further discussion.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Economic Development and Taxation and Energy and Environment that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 801, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 801, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Economic Development and Taxation and Energy and Environment,

____________________________ RON MENOR, Chair

____________________________ CAROL FUKUNAGA, Chair