STAND.
COM. REP. NO. 143
Honolulu, Hawaii
, 2025
RE: H.B. No. 1316
H.D. 1
Honorable Nadine K. Nakamura
Speaker, House of Representatives
Thirty-Third State Legislature
Regular Session of 2025
State of Hawaii
Madame:
Your Committee on Water & Land, to which was referred H.B. No. 1316 entitled:
"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES,"
begs leave to report as follows:
The
purpose of this measure is to require
the registration and numbering of rental watercraft before they are provided or
offered to the public for transiting the navigable waters of a state park.
Your Committee finds
that there is a robust market of rental kayaks and stand-up paddleboards
serving the visitor industry across the State.
Your Committee further finds that visitors often enjoy kayaking and
stand-up paddleboarding on the navigable waters in the Wailua River State Park
on Kauai, Kealakekua Bay State Historic Park on Hawaii island, and Ahupuaa O
Kahana State Park on Oahu, which are the only state parks with navigable
waters. However, the use of these rental
kayaks and stand-up paddleboards, particularly for rented kayaks and stand-up
paddleboards that are rented from vendors outside of the park boundaries, can
create overuse of these waterways, leading to conflicts with local resident
users. Your Committee believes that instituting
a permitting process for rented water vessels will reduce these conflicts and
ensure visitors and residents are able to enjoy the State's natural resources.
Your
Committee has amended this measure by:
(1) Replacing the word "watercraft" with
"vessel" to better align with existing regulations;
(2) Authorizing the Department of Land and Natural
Resources to adopt rules to establish conditions of use for rental vessels;
(3) Changing the effective date to July 1, 3000,
to encourage further discussion; and
(4) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.
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 H.B. No. 1316, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1316, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Water & Land,
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____________________________ MARK J. HASHEM, Chair |
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