STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2401

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2474

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2018

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Agriculture and Environment and Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health, to which was referred S.B. No. 2474 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO NOISE CONTROL,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to require the Department of Health to conduct a study on the impacts of aviation noise on the residents in the Puna District on the Island of Hawaii and surrounding areas of the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Office of the Mayor of the County of Hawai‘i, Hawai‘i County Councilmember Eileen Ohara, Hawaii Island Coalition Malama Pono, and twenty-six individuals. Your Committees received comments on this measure from the Department of Health.

Your Committees find that it is the responsibility of the Department of Health to address excessive noise issues and the impacts of excessive noise in the State. Your Committees further find that overhead helicopter noise has had detrimental effects on residents who live in helicopter tour flight paths. Your Committees acknowledge that helicopter flight paths fall under the jurisdiction of the Federal Aviation Administration, but believe that the State must take steps to assess the situation and find a solution regarding helicopter noise to bring some relief to Hawaii residents.

Your Committees have amended this measure by:

(1) Deleting language that would have required the Department of Health to adopt rules to address the aviation noise impact findings of the study;

(2) Requiring the Department of Transportation to collaborate with the Department of Health on the aviation noise study and subsequent report to the Legislature; and

(3) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Agriculture and Environment and Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2474, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2474, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Agriculture and Environment and Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health,

________________________________ ROSALYN H. BAKER, Chair

________________________________ MIKE GABBARD, Chair