STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1348

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    H.B. No. 988

       H.D. 2

       S.D. 2

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2013

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred H.B. No. 988, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO NATIVE WILDLIFE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to authorize use of the environmental response revolving fund to support the operations of an environmental disaster standby and response facility to respond to oil and fuel-related disasters affecting native wildlife in the State.

     Your Committee received written comments in support of this measure from a private individual.

     Your Committee received written comments in opposition to this measure from the Department of Health.

     Your Committee finds that Hawaii has the largest concentration of endangered and threatened species in the world.  Accordingly, it is imperative that the State be fully prepared to protect endangered and threatened animals if an oil or fuel-related disaster affecting native wildlife were to occur.  Your Committee further finds that a purpose-built and operational oiled-wildlife response facility is the standard that has been set for highly successful emergency responses, as it allows for efficient, state-of-the-art wildlife care, provides for control of animal and hazardous waste handling and tracking, and ensures the safety of everyone working with oiled wildlife.  Your Committee believes that this measure provides an appropriate source of funding to support the operations of the environmental disaster standby and response facility.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Changing the effective date to July 1, 2050, to facilitate further discussion on the measure; and

     (2)  Making technical nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and style.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 988, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 988, H.D. 2, S.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

____________________________

DAVID Y. IGE, Chair