STAND. COM. REP. NO. 389

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 1466

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2023

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Agriculture and Environment and Public Safety and Intergovernmental and Military Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 1466 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO CESSPOOLS,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to establish and appropriate funds for a cesspool pilot program within the Environmental Management Division of the Department of Health to work with each county to identify a priority area to connect individual properties to a centralized sewage system to reduce or eliminate cesspools in each county.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Health, University of Hawai‘i Sea Grant Program, University of Hawaii Water Resources Research Center, Kingdom Pathways, Rotary Club of Hanalei Bay, Friends of Hanauma Bay, Environmental Caucus of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i, Hawaii Marine Education and Research Center, Hawai‘i Reef and Ocean Coalition, Hawai‘i REALTORS, Ulupono Initiative, Hawai‘i Farm Bureau, Surfrider Foundation, and four individuals.

Your Committees find that pursuant to Act 125, Session Laws of Hawaii 2017, every cesspool in the State, excluding cesspools granted exemptions by the Director of Health, must be upgraded or converted to a Director of Health-approved wastewater system or connected to a sewage system before 2050. This measure establishes a pilot program with upfront planning funds to counties to identify the most feasible areas to connect an existing or future wastewater treatment plant, engage communities in the discussion, conduct preliminary engineering, and estimate upfront and ongoing costs for implementation.

Accordingly, your Committees have amended this measure by:

(1) Inserting recommended language from the Department of Health, authorizing the use of any contractor support services required by the Environmental Management Division of the Department of Health in establishing and implementing the pilot program; and

(2) 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 Public Safety and Intergovernmental and Military Affairs that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1466, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1466, 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 Public Safety and Intergovernmental and Military Affairs,

________________________________ GLENN WAKAI, Chair

________________________________ MIKE GABBARD, Chair