STAND. COM. REP. NO. 967

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 1318

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2025

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred S.B. No. 1318 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO WATER POLLUTION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to clarify that enforcement of criminal water pollution offenses remains under the jurisdiction of the Department of Health, rather than the Department of Land and Natural Resources.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Land and Natural Resources and Department of the Attorney General.

Your Committee finds that existing law provides for duplicative water pollution offenses with relatively low-level penalties from the Department of Land and Natural Resources that conflict with the more stringent penalties imposed by the Department of Health for water pollution offenses. Accordingly, this measure eliminates these duplicative offenses from the Department of Land and Natural Resources' criminal jurisdiction, ensuring enforcement with higher criminal penalties for these serious offenses that significant affect public health.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1318 and recommends that it pass Third Reading.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Judiciary,

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KARL RHOADS, Chair