STAND. COM. REP. NO. 20-22

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2022

RE: H.B. No. 1806

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Energy & Environmental Protection, to which was referred H.B. No. 1806 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO CESSPOOL CONVERSION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to require cesspools in the State to be upgraded or converted to a wastewater system approved by the Department of Health before January 1, 2050.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Health, Life of the Land, and one individual. Your Committee received comments on this measure from one individual.

Your Committee finds that Hawaii has nearly eighty-eight thousand cesspools that release more than fifty million gallons of raw sewage into the State's groundwater and surface waters every day. Although the State established a requirement for the upgrade, conversion, or connection of all cesspools in the State by 2050, the language of the mandate should be made clearer to ensure that cesspools are upgraded or converted to a Director of Health-approved wastewater system.

Your Committee has amended this measure by clarifying that the upgraded or converted wastewater system be approved by the Director of Health.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Energy & Environmental Protection that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1806, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1806, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Energy & Environmental Protection,

____________________________

NICOLE E. LOWEN, Chair