STAND. COM. REP. NO. 204

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2023

RE: H.B. No. 88

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2023

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Water & Land, to which was referred H.B. No. 88 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO COASTAL EROSION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to combat coastal erosion in Hawaii by:

(1) Establishing and appropriating funds for a two-year program at the University of Hawaii to study the impact of sandbag walls, or "sand burritos", on sand movement patterns and coastal erosion at Ehukai Beach Park on the North Shore of Oahu; and

(2) Establishing a temporary moratorium on the use of sandbag walls or "sand burritos", unless authorized by an emergency permit from the Department of Land and Natural Resources.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the University of Hawai‘i System. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Land and Natural Resources and Office of Planning and Sustainable Development.

Your Committee finds that this measure would provide important information about how to protect Hawaii's coastlines from erosion.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Modifying the subject matter and geographical scope of the two-year study to be conducted by the University of Hawaii;

(2) Changing its effective date to June 30, 3000, to encourage further discussion; and

(3) 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 Water & Land that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 88, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 88, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

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

____________________________

LINDA ICHIYAMA, Chair