STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2639

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 3099

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2020

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Agriculture and Environment and Water and Land, to which was referred S.B. No. 3099 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO CLIMATE CHANGE,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to implement the recommendations of the Hawaii Sea Level Rise Vulnerability and Adaptation Report.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Office of Planning, City and County of Honolulu Board of Water Supply, Hawaii Youth Climate Coalition, Surfrider Oahu, IMUAlliance, and three individuals. Your Committees received comments on this measure from the Department of Health, Office of Information Practices, Hawaii Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Commission, and Hawai‘i Association of REALTORS®.

Your Committees find that climate change poses immediate and long-term threats to the State's economy, sustainability, security, and way of life. Your Committees further find that the Hawaii Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Commission submitted a Hawaii Sea Level Rise Vulnerability and Adaptation Report in December 2017. The Report made several recommendations to state and county agencies based on emerging good practices to strengthen Hawaii's overall readiness to face sea level rise and climate change. This measure implements the recommendations of the Hawaii Sea Level Rise Vulnerability and Adaptation Report.

Your Committees have amended this measure by:

(1) Clarifying that the Office of Planning in maintaining an inventory of lands suitable for development shall request the counties to identify, assess, and prioritize underutilized land within urban zoned areas that could be redeveloped in a manner that is resilient to sea level rise;

(2) Exempting the Standing Committee on Sea Level Rise and Managed Retreat from part I of chapter 92, Hawaii Revised Statutes, relating to public agency meetings;

(3) Requiring the Department of Health to submit interim progress reports to the Legislature prior to the Regular Sessions of 2021, 2022, and 2023, and a final report prior to the Regular Session of 2024;

(4) Inserting an appropriation of $750,000 for fiscal year 2020-2021 for the Department of Health to conduct a sea level rise mitigation review; and

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

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Agriculture and Environment and Water and Land that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 3099, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 3099, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Agriculture and Environment and Water and Land,

________________________________ KAIALI'I KAHELE, Chair

________________________________ MIKE GABBARD, Chair