STAND. COM. REP. NO. 211

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 1598

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 Higher Education, to which was referred S.B. No. 1598 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO WATER TESTING,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to appropriate funds to the Department of Science of the University of Hawaii Maui College to support water testing on the island of Maui, including supplies and the establishment of two full-time equivalent (2.0 FTE) positions.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the University of Hawai‘i Systems.

Your Committee finds that the island of Maui has only one water quality testing laboratory. That facility is operated by the County of Maui and only serves the county's agencies. All other water quality testing must be sent to the island of Oahu, where it takes approximately twelve weeks to be returned. Additionally, your Committee recognizes that the recent water crises occurring in Hawaii are detrimental to the health of the State's residents and environment. Therefore, this measure seeks to provide funding and staff for a water testing laboratory at the University of Hawaii Maui College, to enable faster water quality test results and encourage further water quality research on the island of Maui.

Your Committee has amended this measure by making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Higher Education that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1598, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1598, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Higher Education,

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DONNA MERCADO KIM, Chair