STAND.
COM. REP. NO. 1432
Honolulu, Hawaii
, 2025
RE: S.B. No. 223
S.D. 2
H.D. 1
Honorable Nadine K. Nakamura
Speaker, House of Representatives
Thirty-Third State Legislature
Regular Session of 2025
State of Hawaii
Madame:
Your Committees on Public Safety and Water & Land, to which was referred S.B. No. 223, S.D. 2, entitled:
"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO FIRE PREVENTION,"
beg leave to report as follows:
The purpose of this measure is to:
(1) Require the Department of Land and Natural Resources to establish an independent program relating to the prevention, control, and extinguishment of wildland fires within forest reserves;
(2) Authorize the Administrator of the Division of Forestry and Wildlife of the Department of Land and Natural Resources to establish and maintain facilities for the performance of fire protection, fire prevention, pest control, and forest and range protection and enhancement activities;
(3) Require the State Fire Council to amend the State Fire Code to require certain owners and occupants of properties located in hazardous fire areas to maintain effective firebreaks and to practice other fire prevention activities; and
(4) Require the Department of Land and Natural Resources to establish and implement a Community Fuels Reduction Project to reduce hazardous wildfire fuels on state lands, particularly those adjacent to communities.
Your Committees find that adopting strategies and practices to prevent and control wildfires, including establishing firebreaks and reducing hazardous wildfire fuels, will help limit the occurrence and rapid spread of wildfires. Your Committees further find that this measure takes a proactive approach to protect the State's communities from the devastation caused by wildfires.
Your Committees have amended this measure by:
(1) Authorizing the Department of Land and Natural Resources to perform fuel reduction on lands not set aside to the Department;
(2) Allowing, rather than requiring, the State Fire Council to amend the State Fire Code to require that every owner or other person having charge of or control over any building, structure, or other premises or any holder of an easement located in a hazardous fire area to maintain effective firebreaks and to practice other fire prevention activities; and
(3) Changing its effective date to July 1, 3000, to encourage further discussion.
Your Committees respectfully request your Committee on Finance, should it deliberate on this measure, to consider appropriating $10,000,000 for the Division of Forestry and Wildlife of the Department of Land and Natural Resources to undertake fire prevention, control, and reduction work statewide.
As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Public Safety and Water & Land that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 223, S.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 223, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Public Safety and Water & Land,
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____________________________ MARK J. HASHEM, Chair |
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____________________________ DELLA AU BELATTI, Chair |
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