STAND. COM. REP. NO. 529-22

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2022

RE: H.B. No. 1743

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Health, Human Services, & Homelessness, to which was referred H.B. No. 1743 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO POOLS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to define "pools" for the purposes of the Department of Health's authority to adopt rules concerning public health and safety.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Health.

Your Committee finds that public swimming pools are currently regulated under the Hawaii Administrative Rules, which require established turnover rates and disinfectant residuals to ensure that proper filtering of the water is occurring at all times during use by the public. Your Committee further finds that man-made lagoons and pools, such as the Natatorium, cannot meet these requirements and do not meet nationally recognized definitions of a "public swimming pool". Therefore, alternative public health standards for other public recreational waters, such as beaches, should be applied to these structures instead, particularly if the owner of the structure intends to use the ocean or ocean venue for swimming. This measure clarifies that structures like man-made lagoons and pools do not fall under the regulation of "pools".

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Changing the effective date to July 1, 2060, to encourage further discussion; and

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

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health, Human Services, & Homelessness that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1743, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1743, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Health, Human Services, & Homelessness,

____________________________

RYAN I. YAMANE, Chair