STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1607

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: H.B. No. 1352

H.D. 1

S.D. 2

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2021

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred H.B. No. 1352, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO SURPLUS MILITARY LAND,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to require the Office of Planning to submit to the Legislature a report on the lands within the State that are leased to the federal government or under federal government control.

More specifically, this measure requires the Office of Planning to submit to the Legislature a report containing:

(1) An inventory of the lands within the State that are leased to, or under the control of, the federal government;

(2) The known contaminants or environmental hazards discovered on, or associated with, the inventoried lands;

(3) Any necessary remediation and restoration efforts for the inventoried lands;

(4) Possible alternative uses of the inventoried lands; and

(5) The Office of Planning's findings and recommendations.

Your Committee received written comments in support of this measure from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Office of Planning, Environmental Caucus of the Democratic Party of Hawaii, Hawaii Reef and Ocean Coalition, Sierra Club of Hawaii, and numerous individuals.

Your Committee finds that proactively addressing the remediation, restoration, and potential alternative uses of lands that may eventually be returned to the State will inform the State about the conditions of those lands.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Clarifying that the Office of Planning is required to seek input from all executive branch departments and agencies and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs on remediation and restoration needs and proposed alternative uses for lands within the State that are leased to the federal government or under federal government control;

(2) Clarifying that the Department of Land and Natural Resources and Department of Health are required to submit to the Office of Planning, no later than the dates to be determined by the Office of Planning, reports containing certain information that the Office of Planning is required to include in its report to the Legislature; and

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

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1352, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1352, H.D. 1, S.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

________________________________

DONOVAN M. DELA CRUZ, Chair