STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1529

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.R. No. 119

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 Transportation and Culture and the Arts, to which was referred S.R. No. 119 entitled:

"SENATE RESOLUTION ENCOURAGING THE STATE TO BUILD A PARTNERSHIP WITH THE KINGDOM OF THE NETHERLANDS AND COLLABORATE ON SIMILAR, SHARED CHALLENGES AND GOALS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to encourage the State to build a partnership with the Kingdom of the Netherlands and collaborate on similar, shared challenges and goals.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism; Hawai‘i Farm Bureau; and two individuals.

Your Committee finds that the Netherlands is a northwestern European country notable for its economic, cultural, and ecological contributions to world history. Similar to Hawaii, the Netherlands is especially vulnerable to climate change as seventeen percent of its land has been reclaimed by bodies of water. Additionally, as the Netherlands is particularly threatened by sea level rise and flooding brought on by global warming, the Kingdom has developed inventive land reclamation and flood mitigation strategies that could be replicated in Hawaii to defend the State from impending catastrophic sea level rise.

Your Committee further finds that, as a country renowned for its innovative and productive agricultural practices, the Netherlands could also serve as a model for the State in promoting local farms. As an agricultural pioneer, the Netherlands created transportation solutions to reduce costs, curb emissions, and improve safety that could also be replicated in the State. Therefore, this measure encourages the creation of a partnership with the Kingdom of the Netherlands to provide a foundation for cross-cultural exchange, opportunities to learn, and collaborative partnerships.

Your Committee has amended this measure by specifying that Hawaii and the Netherlands are both members of the Local2030 Islands Network and are committed to the same sustainable development goals.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Transportation and Culture and the Arts that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of S.R. No. 119, as amended herein, and recommends its adoption in the form attached hereto as S.R. No. 119, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Transportation and Culture and the Arts,

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CHRIS LEE, Chair