STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3097

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 3135

S.D. 2

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 3135, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HISTORIC PRESERVATION REVIEWS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to transfer to the counties, the responsibility to review certain projects that may affect a historic property, an aviation artifact, or a burial site; provided that the counties meet certain requirements.

Your Committee received written comments in support of this measure from the Department of Land and Natural Resources, the Chair of the Maui County Council, and NAIOP.

Your Committee received written comments in opposition to this measure from the Society for Hawaiian Archaeology and one individual.

Your Committee received written comments on this measure from the Historic Hawaii Foundation and Hawaii Government Employees Association.

Your Committee finds that transferring the historic review process to the counties will bring Hawaii in conformity with other states while helping to address the Department of Land and Natural Resources' backlog of unprocessed historic reviews.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Deleting the provision that third-party reviewers shall be used to address permit review backlogs experienced by the Department of Land and Natural Resources and may be released when the volume of permit reviews reaches a level that is manageable by Department staff; and

(2) 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 S.B. No. 3135, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 3135, S.D. 2.

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

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DONOVAN M. DELA CRUZ, Chair