STAND. COM. REP. NO. 175

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 1028

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2023

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Water and Land, to which was referred S.B. No. 1028 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO VESSELS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Require, beginning from January 1, 2024, rental kayaks to be registered and numbered with the Department of Land and Natural Resources and have the identification number affixed to the rental kayak; and

(2) Require the Department of Land and Natural Resources to establish fees for registration and registration renewals of rental kayaks.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Land and Natural Resources and Hawaii State Aha Moku.

Your Committee finds that rental kayaks are a popular ocean recreational activity, especially with tourists. Your Committee further finds that an unmanaged proliferation of commercial rental kayaks and illegal commercial rentals can adversely impact marine life and cultural resources in Hawaii's near shore waters.

Your Committee also finds that as commercial rental kayaks have become increasingly popular with tourists, they have been the cause of much concern to residents and Native Hawaiian communities. Your Committee further finds that currently, a lack of a decal requirement for commercial kayaks makes it difficult for conservation enforcement officers to distinguish between personal use kayaks, commercial tour operators, and rental companies. Therefore, this measure requires that rental kayaks be registered and numbered with the Department of Land and Natural Resources and allows the Department to establish fees for registration processing.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Inserting an effective date of July 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion; and

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

Should your Committees on Commerce and Consumer Protection and Ways and Means choose to deliberate on this measure, your Committee respectfully requests that it consider further examining your Committee's recommendation that a visible decal sticker system be implemented.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Water and Land that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1028, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1028, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committees on Commerce and Consumer Protection and Ways and Means.

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

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LORRAINE R. INOUYE, Chair