STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1591

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2025

RE: H.R. No. 199

Honorable Nadine K. Nakamura

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2025

State of Hawaii

Madame:

Your Committee on Public Safety, to which was referred H.R. No. 199 entitled:

"HOUSE RESOLUTION URGING THE DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES TO CONDUCT A COMPREHENSIVE ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF ALL MILITARY-LEASED LANDS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to urge the Department of Land and Natural Resources to establish a formal public process for the lease renewal negotiations, including public hearings, community consultations, and stakeholder engagement; to conduct a comprehensive economic analysis of all military-leased lands that assesses the lost economic opportunities from the unavailability of these lands, the comprehensive costs for cleanup of these lands, the costs of restoration and development of these lands to productive economic use, the lost income to the State had these lands been leased at fair market rents, instead of the $1 leases, and the lost tax dollars to the State had these lands been utilized for productive purposes; and to submit a report detailing the findings of the economic analysis as well as its plans for future lease negotiations to the Legislature prior to the 2026 Regular Session.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Environmental Caucus of the Democratic Party of Hawaii, the Chamber of Sustainable Commerce, Greenpeace Hawaii, Ho'opae Pono Peace Project, Ka Lahui Hawaii, the ACLU of Hawaii, The Queen's Court, Veterans for Peace, The Sierra Club, and twenty-five individuals. Your Committee received comments from the Department of Land and Natural Resources.

Your Committee finds that the military's history of violations and neglect of environmental and cultural aspects of the land it operates on, the Department's lack of oversight of its lessees, and the community's overwhelming support for this measure are compelling. As such, your Committee believes that a substantive economic analysis is necessary to improve transparency and oversight for both the department and the public regarding state land leases.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Public Safety that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of H.R. No. 199 and recommends that it be referred to your Committee on Water & Land.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Public Safety,

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DELLA AU BELATTI, Chair