STAND.
COM. REP. NO. 360
Honolulu, Hawaii
, 2025
RE: H.B. No. 211
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. 211 entitled:
"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO STREAM MAINTENANCE,"
begs leave to report as follows:
The
purpose of this measure is to prohibit
the storage of personal property in or near a public stream or tributary.
Your Committee finds
that the State's public streams and tributaries play a vital role in the
State's ecosystems, serve as crucial infrastructure for managing stormwater,
and provide recreational and aesthetic value to residents and visitors. Your Committee further finds that improper
storage of personal property in or near these waterways pose significant
environmental, health, and safety risks, including obstructing water flow,
increasing flood potential, and introducing pollutants into the ecosystem. Your Committee believes that prohibiting the
storage of personal property in or near public streams will protect public
safety and maintain the functionality and health of the State's waterways for
present and future generations.
Your
Committee has amended this measure by:
(1) Clarifying that the counties, rather than the Department
of Land and Natural Resources, are responsible for removing and disposing of
personal property stored in or near a channel, streambed, streambank, or
drainageway;
(2) Deeming personal property stored in or near a
channel, streambed, streambank, or drainageway for a continuous period of more
than twenty-four hours to be abandoned property and authorizing the State and
counties to dispose of it;
(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. 211, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 211, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs.
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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