STAND. COM. REP. NO.  549-14

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2014

RE:   H.B. No. 2204

      H.D. 1

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2014

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Water & Land, to which was referred H.B. No. 2204 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO STORMWATER MANAGEMENT,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to encourage systemic protection of water resources by authorizing counties to establish and charge user fees to maintain stormwater management systems and infrastructure and directing the Commission on Water Resource Management to make recommendations for reducing stormwater runoff and incentivizing reclamation through county water use and development plans.

The Department of Health, Department of Environmental Services of the City and County of Honolulu, Surfrider Foundation, US Green Building Council Hawai‘i Chapter, and several individuals supported this measure.  The Department of Land and Natural Resources and Maui County Department of Water Supply submitted testimony in opposition to this measure.  Hawai‘i Farm Bureau Federation and Tax Foundation of Hawaii submitted comments.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Establishing the counties' authority to establish and charge user fees for stormwater management systems and infrastructure in a statutory section that relates to general county powers rather than to water resource management;

     (2)  Charging the Director of Health with investigating and making recommendations on stormwater management by convening a working committee to prepare a work plan to support stormwater management systems and infrastructure throughout the State and to report its findings to the Legislature;

     (3)  Appropriating an unspecified sum for the convening of a working committee to prepare the work plan;

     (4)  Deleting the provision directing the Commission on Water Resource Management to make recommendation for reducing stormwater runoff and incentivizing reclamation through county water use and development plans;

     (5)  Changing its effective date to July 1, 2050, to facilitate further discussion; and

     (6)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Water & Land that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2204, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2204, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Water & Land,

____________________________

CINDY EVANS, Chair