STAND. COM. REP. NO.  923-14

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2014

RE:   S.B. No. 3053

      S.D. 2

      H.D. 1

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2014

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Transportation, to which was referred S.B. No. 3053, S.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO UNMANNED AERIAL SYSTEMS TEST SITES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to safely integrate the use of unmanned aerial systems by:

     (1)  Establishing an advisory board to oversee and manage unmanned aerial systems test site operations;

     (2)  Establishing the Hawaii Unmanned Serial Systems Test Site Chief Operating Officer to manage operations of the Hawaii unmanned aerial systems test sites and serve on the Pan-Pacific Unmanned Aerial Systems Test Range Complex Management Team; and

     (3)  Appropriating funds to the University of Hawaii for staffing and operating Hawaii's unmanned aerial systems test site activities.

The Department of Transportation; State Department of Defense; Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism; University of Hawaii at Hilo; Members of the Hawaii Aerospace Advisory Committee; International Ventures Associates; Niihau Ranch LLC; and a few concerned individuals testified in support of this measure.  Sky Ohana and one concerned individual testified in opposition to this measure.  

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Establishing the Hawaii Unmanned Aerial Systems Test Site Chief Operating Officer within the University of Hawaii, rather than the University of Hawaii College of Engineering;

     (2)  Removing the civil-service exemptions for the Chief Operating Officer and administrative assistant;

     (3)  Clarifying the duties of the Chief Operating Officer;

     (4)  Specifying that the contracts for services entered into by the Chief Operating Officer are subject to section 103D, Hawaii Revised Statutes;

     (5)  Requiring the Chief Operating Officer to submit an annual report to the Legislature detailing the status of work, expenditures, and trends regarding Hawaii's unmanned aerial systems test site;

     (6)  Subjecting the Chief Operating Officer to Chapter 84, Hawaii Revised Statutes; and

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

     Your Committee notes that should your Committee on Finance deliberate on this measure, it include an appropriation of $170,000 for staffing and operating Hawaii's unmanned aerial systems test site activities.

     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 S.B. No. 3053, S.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 3053, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Higher Education.

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

____________________________

RYAN I. YAMANE, Chair