STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1204

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2023

RE: H.B. No. 1079

H.D. 2

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2023

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Finance, to which was referred H.B. No. 1079, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO WATER POLLUTION CONTROL,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to amend the State's water pollution laws to conform to definitions and civil penalty amounts pursuant to federal regulations and laws, consolidate separate water quality certification statutes into one section of law for clarity, clarify the authority of the Department of Health to conduct water quality certifications, and revise civil penalty amounts to ensure consistency within the Department of Health.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Health and Hawai‘i Reef and Ocean Coalition.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Changing the civil penalty amounts authorized under the Environmental Court to unspecified amounts; and

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

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Finance that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1079, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1079, H.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Finance,

____________________________

KYLE T. YAMASHITA, Chair