STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1150

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: H.B. No. 243

H.D. 1

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2021

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Water and Land and Agriculture and Environment, to which was referred H.B. No. 243, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO SEA LEVEL RISE ADAPTATION,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to require the executive branch departments to:

(1) Identify existing and planned facilities that are vulnerable to sea level rise, flooding impacts, and natural hazards;

(2) Assess a range of options for mitigation impacts of sea level rise to existing and planned facilities;

(3) Establish staff level points of contact to improve interagency coordination for sea level rise adaptation, flooding, and resilience; and

(4) Submit annual reports to the Governor, Legislature, and Hawaii Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Commission regarding vulnerability and adaptation assessments for state facilities and progress in implementing sea level rise and disaster resiliency consideration.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, Hawaii Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Commission, Sierra Club of Hawai‘i, Hawai‘i Reef and Ocean Coalition, and twelve individuals. Your Committees received comments on this measure from the Office of Planning.

Your Committees find that pursuant to Act 45, Session Laws of Hawaii 2020, the responsibilities of the Office of Planning to include sea level adaptation coordination. Your Committees recognize that the coastal zone management program within the Office of Planning has been furthering shoreline management and studying sea level rise adaptation options for Hawaii's shorelines for years. Your Committees further recognize that one of the three focus areas of the 2020 Hawaii Ocean Resources Management Plan, which is published and updated by the coastal zone management program, addresses coastal development and chronic coastal hazards such as sea level rise.

Accordingly, your Committees have amended this measure by:

(1) Requiring staff level points of contacts to also work with the Office of Planning to improve interagency coordination for sea level rise adaptation, flooding, and resilience;

(2) Adding the Office of Planning as a party to receive annual reports from each executive branch department regarding vulnerability and adaptation assessments; and

(3) 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 Water and Land and Agriculture and Environment that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 243, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 243, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

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

________________________________ MIKE GABBARD, Chair

________________________________ LORRAINE R. INOUYE, Chair