STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1495

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: H.B. No. 1121

H.D. 1

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2019

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Water and Land, to which was referred H.B. No. 1121, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO WATER SECURITY,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to require the Commission on Water Resource Management to conduct an update of the statewide framework for updating the Hawaii Water Plan to provide additional guidance for updating the Hawaii Water Plan.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Land and Natural Resources, Department of Agriculture, Department of Health, City and County of Honolulu Board of Water Supply, One World One Water, Hawai‘i Farm Bureau, Maui County Farm Bureau, O‘ahu County Democrats, and two individuals.

Your Committee finds that the Hawaii Water Plan serves as a continuing long-range guide for water resource protection and management, and consists of five major components. Your Committee further finds that many of the components of the Hawaii Water Plan have not been updated since its initial adoption in 1990. It is timely to conduct a comprehensive review and update of the Hawaii Water Plan to provide the basis for more holistic water planning, thereby increasing future water security, especially as climate change persists and droughts become more common.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Making the appropriation for fiscal year 2019-2020, rather than for the entire fiscal biennium;

(2) Inserting an effective date of December 31, 2050, to encourage further discussion; and

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

Your Committee notes that although the appropriation amount is blank, your Committee requests that your Committee on Ways and Means consider an appropriation of $300,000 for an update of the statewide framework for updating the Hawaii Water Plan.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Water and Land that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1121, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1121, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Water and Land,

________________________________

KAIALI'I KAHELE, Chair