STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1062-24

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2024

RE: H.B. No. 2261

H.D. 2

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2024

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred H.B. No. 2261, H.D. 1, 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" to remove the qualification that the property must be over fifty years old and instead require the property to be listed on the Hawaii or National Register of Historic Places or be built before August 21, 1959; and

(2) Require historic review for proposed projects on existing privately-owned single-family detached dwelling units or townhouses only if the unit or townhouse is historic property.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawai‘i Association of REALTORS; NAIOP Hawaii; Building Industry Association of Hawaii; and one individual. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Historic Hawai‘i Foundation and one individual. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Land and Natural Resources.

Your Committee finds that under existing law, any structure built before 1974 must undergo a historic preservation review before a proposed project may be commenced. Your Committee believes that this requirement is overly broad since many of these structures are not historically, architecturally, archaeologically, or culturally significant. This measure would narrow the definition of "historic property" to only include those buildings, structures, objects, districts, areas, or sites that are listed on the Hawaii or national register of historic places or were built before August 21, 1959.

Your Committee has amended this measure by 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 Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2261, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2261, H.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs,

____________________________

DAVID A. TARNAS, Chair