CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REP. NO. 36-18

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2018

RE: S.B. No. 2567

S.D. 2

H.D. 2

C.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2018

State of Hawaii

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2018

State of Hawaii

Sirs:

Your Committee on Conference on the disagreeing vote of the Senate to the amendments proposed by the House of Representatives in S.B. No. 2567, S.D. 2, H.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO CESSPOOLS,"

having met, and after full and free discussion, has agreed to recommend and does recommend to the respective Houses the final passage of this bill in an amended form.

The purpose of this measure is to:

(1) Establish a Cesspool Conversion Working Group (Working Group) within the Department of Health (DOH) to develop a comprehensive plan for cesspool conversion statewide by 2050;

(2) Commission and appropriate funds for the University of Hawaii (UH) Water Resources Research Center, in cooperation with DOH, to perform a statewide study of sewage contamination in nearshore marine areas; and

(3) Appropriate funds to DOH to conduct research or gather technical assistance on other issues as identified by the Working Group in completing its comprehensive cesspool conversion plan.

Your Committee on Conference finds that drinking water, public recreation, and the precious coral reefs, on which Hawaii's economy, shoreline, recreation, fisheries, and native species depend, has been impaired by cesspool pollution and are in imminent damage of further damage. Your Committee on Conference further finds that costs, terrain, and other geologic and geographic factors complicate the upgrading or conversion of cesspools in many areas of the State. Your Committee on Conference therefore finds that it is best to convene a Working Group representative of various stakeholders to address this complex issue.

Your Committee on Conference has amended this measure by:

(1) Clarifying the objectives of the Working Group;

(2) Deleting the fifteen-year time frame the Working Group would have considered in making recommendations for the DOH to ensure cesspool conversions;

(3) Revising the membership of the Working Group;

(4) Allowing the Working Group to contract for services to establish a cesspool conversion plan and exempting the contract from the Hawaii Public Procurement Code;

(5) Updating the preamble;

(6) Inserting an appropriation amount of $500,000 for the UH Water Resources Research Center, in cooperation with DOH, to perform a statewide study of sewage contamination in nearshore marine areas;

(7) Inserting an appropriation amount of $1,000,000 for the DOH to conduct research or gather technical assistance on other issues as identified by the Working Group in completing its comprehensive cesspool conversion plan;

(8) Changing the effective date to July 1, 2018; and

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

As affirmed by the record of votes of the managers of your Committee on Conference that is attached to this report, your Committee on Conference is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2567, S.D. 2, H.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Final Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2567, S.D. 2, H.D. 2, C.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the managers:

ON THE PART OF THE HOUSE

ON THE PART OF THE SENATE

____________________________ CHRIS LEE Co-Chair	____________________________ MIKE GABBARD Chair
____________________________ JOHN M. MIZUNO Co-Chair	____________________________ ROSALYN H. BAKER Co-Chair
____________________________ NICOLE E. LOWEN Co-Chair	____________________________ J. KALANI ENGLISH Co-Chair