STAND. COM. REP. NO. 187-24

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2024

RE: H.B. No. 1901

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2024

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Water & Land, to which was referred H.B. No. 1901 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HISTORIC PRESERVATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to:

(1) Amend the definition of "historic property" for purposes of the historic preservation program; and

(2) Exempt state projects on state-owned buildings from State Historic Preservation Division review, unless the affected property is more than one hundred years old or on or being added to the Hawaii Register of Historic Places or National Register of Historic Places.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaiʻi Association of REALTORS and Building Industry Association of Hawaii. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Historic Hawaiʻi Foundation; Docomomo US, Hawaiʻi Chapter; and NAIOP Hawaii. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Land and Natural Resources.

Your Committee finds that this measure balances the importance of protecting property of true historic significance with the need to carry out much-needed renovations and rehabilitation of aging properties, including state-owned buildings.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Requiring the Department of Accounting and General Services to conduct a comprehensive survey and inventory of all state-owned buildings within five years to evaluate and nominate potentially eligible buildings for listing on the Hawaii Register of Historic Places or National Register of Historic Places;

(2) Appropriating funds for this purpose;

(3) Changing its effective date to July 1, 3000, to encourage further discussion; and

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

Your Committee respectfully requests your Committee on Finance, should it choose to deliberate on this measure, to consider appropriating $400,000 for fiscal year 2024-2025 for the Department of Accounting and General Services to conduct the comprehensive survey and inventory of all state-owned buildings.

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. 1901, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1901, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs.

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

____________________________

LINDA ICHIYAMA, Chair