STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1427

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2023

RE: S.B. No. 1291

S.D. 1

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2023

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Water & Land, to which was referred S.B. No. 1291, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO SEA LEVEL RISE ADAPTATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to require the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development, in consultation with state agencies having operational responsibilities over facilities owned and managed by the State, to develop a standardized process for assessing the vulnerability of facilities owned and managed by the State to sea level rise in order to ensure that sea level rise planning and adaptation implementation is carried out in a consistent and comprehensive manner across state agencies' capital planning projects.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Land and Natural Resources; Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism; Office of Planning and Sustainable Development; Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Commission; University of Hawai‘i Sea Grant College Program and Climate Resilience Collaborative; Environmental Caucus of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i; Imua Alliance; and two individuals. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from one individual.

Your Committee finds that this measure continues state agencies' efforts to understand their facilities' vulnerability to sea level rise and to plan and adapt appropriately.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Changing its effective date to June 30, 3000, to encourage further discussion; and

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

Your Committee respectfully requests your Committee on Finance, should it choose to deliberate on this measure, to consider an appropriation amount of $400,000.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Water & Land that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1291, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1291, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Water & Land,

____________________________

LINDA ICHIYAMA, Chair