CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REP. NO. 189-24

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2024

RE: S.B. No. 3068

S.D. 1

H.D. 1

C.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2024

State of Hawaii

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2024

State of Hawaii

Sirs:

Your Committee on Conference on the disagreeing vote of the Senate to the amendments proposed by the House of Representatives in S.B. No. 3068, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT MAKING APPROPRIATIONS FOR WILDFIRE RECOVERY,"

having met, and after full and free discussion, has agreed to recommend and does recommend to the respective Houses the final passage of this bill in an amended form.

The purpose of this measure is to make various appropriations to facilitate Maui's recovery from the August 2023 wildfires, including for repairs and replacement of infrastructure that will reduce the risk of future wildfires.

Specifically, this measure:

(1) Appropriates $200,000,000 from the state risk management revolving fund for disbursement of wildfire insurance claim payments;

(2) Appropriates $186,160,000 as a set-aside for wildfire recovery costs;

(3) Authorizes the Governor to transfer funds to other state agencies and requires the Governor and the departments receiving those funds to report those transfers to the Legislature;

(4) Appropriates $10,000,000 for fire and emergency response equipment; and

(5) Authorizes the Director of Finance to issue $63,560,000 in reimbursable general obligation bonds for various projects on Maui.

Your Committee on Conference finds that in August 2023, the island of Maui suffered devastating wildfires that resulted in one hundred one confirmed fatalities, sweeping destruction of homes and businesses, and catastrophic impacts to the Maui community. Your Committee believes that the recovery of Maui will require additional moneys and programs along with authorizations for the expenditure of various federal funds. Your Committee further finds that a prudent recovery should include infrastructure repairs and replacement that will help to prevent future wildfires.

Your Committee on Conference has amended this measure by:

(1) Amending the purpose section to reflect current efforts to support the Maui wildfire recovery and the reduction of future wildfire risks;

(2) Adding an appropriation of $62,500 in general funds for a temporary library to be located in Lahaina, Maui;

(3) Adding an appropriation of $424,344 in general funds for six full-time equivalent temporary positions within the Department of Human Services;

(4) Adding appropriations of $13,370,000 in general funds and $12,751,554 in federal funds for emergency management related to the Maui wildfires;

(5) Adding an appropriation of $521,473 from the conservation and resources enforcement special fund for the Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement, for the Maui wildfire recovery efforts;

(6) Adding an appropriation of $1,000,000 from the public utilities commission special fund for consultant contracts for utility dockets, to be expended by the Public Utilities Commission;

(7) Adding an appropriation, or authorizing the expenditure of federal moneys received by the State, of up to $20,000,000 for wildfire response, recovery, and prevention measures;

(8) Adding an appropriation of $7,425,000 in general funds for fire response and rehabilitation, and wildfire fuels reduction, contracts;

(9) Adding an appropriation of $1,412,928 in general funds for twenty-two full-time equivalent positions within the Native Resources and Fire Protection Program of the Department of Land and Natural Resources;

(10) Deleting from the measure the authorization to issue reimbursable general obligation bonds in the amount of $63,560,000 for various projects on Maui since the authorizations for those projects were recently included in the Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2024;

(11) Adding an appropriation of $10,000,000 in general funds for fire and emergency response equipment;

(12) Adding an appropriation, or authorizing the expenditure of federal moneys received by the State, of up to $3,549,000 for fire and emergency response equipment;

(13) Adding an appropriation of $900,000 from the public utilities commission special fund for consultant contracts for utility dockets, to be expended by the Division of Consumer Advocacy;

(14) Adding amendments to the General Appropriations Act of 2023, Act 164, Session Laws of Hawaii 2023, as amended by House Bill 1800, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, C.D. 1, passed by the Legislature during the Regular Session of 2024, to:

(A) Require that of the general fund appropriation for the Hawaii Association of Conservation Districts, $400,000 shall be expended in accordance with chapter 180, Hawaii Revised Statutes, and also requiring that the moneys shall be used to match extramural funding for stormwater management for drought resiliency and reducing wildfire risk, along with requiring that the Department of Land and Natural Resources submit a report to the Legislature accounting for the usage of the moneys;

(B) Require that of the general fund appropriation for amelioration of natural disasters, the sum of $194,000 shall be expended for civilian auxiliary aviation services; and

(15) Adding an appropriation of $2,334,681 for the University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization to conduct a multiethnic cohort study on the health effects of the August 2023 Maui wildfires and to develop and maintain a registry of those affected by the wildfires to assess their long-term health and well-being and the impacts on communities;

(16) Requiring the lapsing of appropriations in the measure that are unencumbered as of June 30, 2025;

(17) Changing the effective date to July 1, 2024; and

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

As affirmed by the record of votes of the managers of your Committee on Conference that is attached to this report, your Committee on Conference is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 3068, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Final Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 3068, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, C.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the managers:

ON THE PART OF THE HOUSE

ON THE PART OF THE SENATE

____________________________ KYLE T. YAMASHITA Chair		____________________________ GLENN WAKAI Chair
		____________________________ TROY N. HASHIMOTO Co-Chair