STAND. COM. REP. NO. 393

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 1477

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2023

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Water and Land and Public Safety and Intergovernmental and Military Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 1477 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO GOVERNMENT PROPERTY,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Transfer from the Department of Land and Natural Resources certain wharfs, launching ramps, and small boat harbors on Maui to the County of Maui; and

(2) Appropriate funds.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from one member of the Maui County Council. Your Committees received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Department of Land and Natural Resources.

Your Committees find that the small boat harbors on Maui are significant to the island's communities because the harbors are crucial for fishing, recreation, commerce, and transportation. However, your Committees find that Maui's small boat harbors have descended into disarray, because of the numerous amounts of uncompleted repairs and maintenance projects. Additionally, your Committees find that the revenue from the facilities are not retained, but spread out over the entire State. Furthermore, due to the governance of these facilities being primarily done through offices on Oahu, the users of these facilities must often send communications through several layers of personnel. Therefore, this measure transfers from the Department of Land and Natural Resources certain wharfs, launching ramps, and small boat harbors on Maui to the County of Maui, along with the corresponding revenue from those harbors.

Your Committees have amended this measure by:

(1) Inserting an effective date of July 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion; and

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

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Water and Land and Public Safety and Intergovernmental and Military Affairs that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1477, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1477, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Water and Land and Public Safety and Intergovernmental and Military Affairs,

________________________________ GLENN WAKAI, Chair

________________________________ LORRAINE R. INOUYE, Chair