STAND. COM. REP. NO. 308

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 962

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2021

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Water and Land, to which was referred S.B. No. 962 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE NATURAL ENERGY LABORATORY OF HAWAII AUTHORITY,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Transfer operational authority of the Makai Research Pier (Pier) located at the southeast corner of Oahu to the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority (NELHA); and

(2) Authorize the Director of Finance to issue general obligation bonds for the NELHA to repair and upgrade the Pier.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Land and Natural Resources; University of Hawai‘i System; Makai Ocean Engineering, Inc.; Sea Engineering, Inc.; and one individual. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority.

Your Committee finds that the Pier enables local ocean technology companies to create high-paying, highly skilled professional jobs and to expand and diversify Hawaii's economy. According to testimony received by your Committee, this measure would not only allow the Pier to remain operational, but also allow its tenants to continue to compete and win against mainland peers in the award of high-quality federal research and development projects. Your Committee further finds that the current leases of the Pier should be grandfathered in the transfer of authority over the Pier to NELHA.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Inserting language to transfer the current leases of the Pier to NELHA; and

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

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 S.B. No. 962, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 962, 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,

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LORRAINE R. INOUYE, Chair