STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1298

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.C.R. No. 78

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 Government Operations and Water and Land, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 78 entitled:

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE AUDITOR TO CONDUCT AN AUDIT OF THE DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES' STATE HISTORIC PRESERVATION DIVISION,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to request that the Auditor conduct a performance audit of the State Historic Preservation Division of the Department of Land and Natural Resources.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Historic Hawai‘i Foundation and nine individuals. Your Committees received comments on the measure from the Department of Land and Natural Resources.

Your Committees find that the audits of the State Historic Preservation Division have reported serious internal strife and a significant backlog of project reviews, resulting in the undermining of the preservation and protection of unmarked burial sites throughout the islands. Your Committees further find that the reported systemic and chronic mismanagement of the burial councils by the State Historic Preservation Division has effectively undermined the ability of the island burial councils to provide protection and cultural care to unmarked Hawaiian burial sites in accordance with the program enacted by Act 306, Session Laws of Hawaii 1990.

Your Committees have amended this measure by:

(1) Clarifying that the audit will include all the programs within the State Historic Preservation Division; and

(2) Specifying the scope of the audit to include certain issues, in conformity with the contents of H.B. No. 865, H.D. 1.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Government Operations and Water and Land that are attached to this report, your Committees concur with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 78, as amended herein, and recommend its adoption in the form attached hereto as S.C.R. No. 78, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Government Operations and Water and Land,

________________________________ LORRAINE R. INOUYE, Chair

________________________________ SHARON MORIWAKI, Chair