CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REP. NO. 227

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2025

RE: H.B. No. 969

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. 969, H.D. 2, S.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO WASTE OR DISPOSAL FACILITIES,"

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 prohibit the construction, modification, or expansion of any waste or disposal facility on land that is above a significant aquifer as determined by the Department of Health.

Your Committee on Conference has amended this measure by:

(1) Inserting a preamble related to protecting freshwater sources and agricultural lands from landfill contamination;

(2) Inserting language to prohibit landfill units on land in an agricultural district with class A soils in a county with a population greater than five hundred thousand;

(3) Deleting language that would have prohibited the construction, modification, or expansion of any waste or disposal facility on land that is above a significant aquifer;

(4) Narrowing the existing prohibition on the construction, modification, or expansion of waste or disposal facilities within a one-half mile buffer zone of residential, school, or hospital property lines to apply specifically to landfill units or components of landfill units;

(5) Prohibiting the construction, modification, or expansion of a landfill unit, or any component of a landfill unit, inland of an underground injection control line in a county with a population greater than five hundred thousand, with certain exemptions;

(6) Adding definitions for "landfill unit" and "underground injection control line";

(7) Changing the effective date to July 1, 2025; and

(8) 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. 969, 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. 969, 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

____________________________ JOY A. SAN BUENAVENTURA Chair	____________________________ NICOLE E. LOWEN Co-Chair
____________________________ LORRAINE R. INOUYE Co-Chair	____________________________ MARK J. HASHEM Co-Chair
____________________________ CHRIS LEE Co-Chair	____________________________ MAHINA POEPOE Co-Chair
	____________________________ JENNA TAKENOUCHI Co-Chair