STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1453

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.R. No. 83

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2023

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Water and Land, to which was referred S.R. No. 83 entitled:

"SENATE RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE TASK FORCE ON BEACH AND WATER SAFETY TO RESUME CONVENING REGULAR MEETINGS AS MANDATED BY LAW AND PROVIDE A CURRENT STATUS REPORT TO THE LEGISLATURE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to request the Task Force on Beach and Water Safety to resume convening regular meetings as mandated by law and provide a current status report to the Legislature.

Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Land and Natural Resources.

Your Committee finds that Act 190, Session Laws of Hawaii 1996 (Act 190), established a Task Force on Beach and Water Safety to advise the Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources as to the best design of and placement for legally adequate warning signs for public beach parks with dangerous shore breaks or strong currents. Your Committee further finds that Act 190 required the Task Force to regularly convene and to submit an annual report to the Legislature. However, despite this, the Task Force has not met since December 12, 2012, and the Legislature has not received any substantive information relating to any Task Force accomplishments, an inventory of existing warning signs on public beach parks, nor summaries as to the effectiveness of these signs in preventing drownings and serious injuries. Therefore, this measure requests the Task Force to resume compliance with Act 190 and to provide a current status report to the Legislature as soon as practicable.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Water and Land that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of S.R. No. 83 and recommends its adoption.

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

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LORRAINE R. INOUYE, Chair