STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1815

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: H.B. No. 1017

H.D. 1

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2025

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred H.B. No. 1017, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE GREENHOUSE GAS SEQUESTRATION TASK FORCE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to repeal the Greenhouse Gas Sequestration Task Force.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism and Office of Planning and Sustainable Development.

Your Committee finds that when Act 15, Session Laws of Hawaii 2018, was passed, it created a task force of state and private sector officials and charged them with important research in several areas with potential for reducing greenhouse gas in the atmosphere. Your Committee further finds that the Legislature provided $150,000 in general funds to start the research, and the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development initiated three contracts with experts in soil science, farming best practices, and nature-based carbon sequences. However, further funding was not available, and without funds for contractual services and a dedicated staff position to manage the Sunshine Law requirements for the board and research contract management duties, your Committee believes that section 255P-4, Hawaii Revised Statutes, establishing the Greenhouse Gas Sequestration Task Force, should be repealed.

Your Committee has amended this measure by making it effective upon its approval.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1017, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1017, H.D. 1, S.D. 1.

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

________________________________

KARL RHOADS, Chair