CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REP. NO. 237

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2025

RE: H.B. No. 830

H.D. 2

S.D. 2

C.D. 1

Honorable Nadine K. Nakamura

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2025

State of Hawaii

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2025

State of Hawaii

Madam and Sir:

Your Committee on Conference on the disagreeing vote of the House of Representatives to the amendments proposed by the Senate in H.B. No. 830, H.D. 2, S.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HISTORIC PRESERVATION REVIEWS,"

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:

(1) Beginning July 1, 2027, allow the State Historic Preservation Division to contract its review of certain proposed projects to third-party consultants under certain circumstances;

(2) Establish requirements for qualified third-party consultants providing review services;

(3) Require the project proponent to pay for the reasonable fee requirements of the third-party consultant;

(4) Allow the project proponent to contract or sponsor with any county, housing authority, non-profit organization, or person, to meet the third-party consultant fee requirement;

(5) Require the Department of Land and Natural Resources to publish a draft of its proposed rules within one year of the effective date of this measure, and within one year thereafter, present its proposed final rules to the Board of Land and Natural Resources; and

(6) Appropriate funds for the State Historic Preservation Division's recruitment and retention of qualified third-party consultants and full-time equivalent positions to oversee the third-party consultants.

Your Committee on Conference has amended this measure by:

(1) Exempting projects that trigger Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act from this measure;

(2) Authorizing third-party review on residential units and mixed-use developments, as long as a majority of the mixed-use development is residential for state projects and projects affecting historic properties;

(3) Deleting language that would have allowed a third-party review for privately-owned historic property under certain circumstances;

(4) Removing all appropriations;

(5) Changing the sunset date to June 30, 2030, rather than June 30, 2029;

(6) Changing the effective date to July 1, 2025, but making the authorization to contract a third-party consultant effective July 1, 2026; and

(7) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the 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 H.B. No. 830, H.D. 2, S.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Final Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 830, H.D. 2, S.D. 2, C.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the managers:

ON THE PART OF THE SENATE

ON THE PART OF THE HOUSE

____________________________ LORRAINE R. INOUYE Chair	____________________________ LUKE A. EVSLIN Co-Chair
____________________________ STANLEY CHANG Co-Chair	____________________________ MARK J. HASHEM Co-Chair
____________________________ MIKE GABBARD Co-Chair	____________________________ TYSON K. MIYAKE Co-Chair
____________________________ DRU KANUHA Co-Chair