STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3605

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.C.R. No. 167

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Transportation, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 167 entitled:

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION URGING THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION TO CONVENE AN INTERGOVERNMENTAL TASK FORCE TO ASSIST THE COUNTY OF HAWAII IN THE ESTABLISHMENT AND CERTIFICATION OF A METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to urge the Department of Transportation to convene an Intergovernmental Task Force to assist the County of Hawaii in the establishment and certification of a metropolitan planning organization.

Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Transportation and County of Hawai‘i Mass Transit Agency.

Your Committee finds that metropolitan planning organizations are agreements between the Governor and local governments that represent at least seventy-five percent of the affected population. The Department of Transportation has the responsibility to support statewide transportation goals with the help of respective counties, but there are only two established metropolitan planning organizations in Hawaii. Therefore, this measure urges the Department of Transportation to convene an Intergovernmental Task Force to assist the County of Hawaii to establish and certify a metropolitan planning organization.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Clarifying findings to better reflect the process for establishment of a metropolitan planning organization;

(2) Clarifying that the Department of Transportation is urged to convene an Intergovernmental Task Force to recommend policy and provide guidance to assist the County of Hawaii in establishing and forming a metropolitan planning organization or a regional transportation planning organization if the County of Hawaii does not meet the population threshold, according to the 2020 census, for a metropolitan planning organization;

(3) Including the Directors of the Mass Transit Agency and Planning and Public Works of the County of Hawaii as recipients of this measure; and

(4) Amending its title accordingly.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Transportation that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 167, as amended herein, and recommends its adoption in the form attached hereto as S.C.R. No. 167, S.D. 1.

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

________________________________

CHRIS LEE, Chair