STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1574

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: H.B. No. 1031

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2021

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred H.B. No. 1031 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE HAWAII HISTORIC PLACES REVIEW BOARD,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to reduce the number of members on the Hawaii Historic Places Review Board.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Land and Natural Resources.

Your Committee finds that the Hawaii Historic Places Review Board's (HHPRB) principal duties are to list places in the Hawaii Register of Historic Places and to recommend nomination of places to the National Register of Historic Places. Existing state law requires the HHPRB to consist of ten members to carry out these duties. However, the HHPRB has had the full complement of its ten statutory members for approximately twelve months out of the last seven years. Moreover, the HHPRB currently has two vacancies and two additional members will reach the end of their second term in the coming months. Due to existing quorum and voting requirements, all appointed members must be present and any motion to list a property to the historic registers requires a unanimous yes vote. Accordingly, this measure reduces the HHPRB from ten to seven members to ease the current recruitment difficulties, reduce the potential for the HHPRB to be unable to meet and conduct business due to lack of quorum, and addresses the problem of positive listing decisions requiring a unanimous yes vote. Your Committee further notes that this measure does not alter the qualifications required for the five expert members and meets the federal requirements established in the National Historic Preservation Act.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1031, and recommends that it pass Third Reading.

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

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KARL RHOADS, Chair