STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3491

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 2024

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Agriculture and Environment and Transportation and Culture and the Arts, to which was referred S.R. No. 119 entitled:

"SENATE RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE HAWAII CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION AND ADAPTION COMMISSION TO DEVELOP VEHICLE MILES TRAVELED REDUCTION STRATEGIES AND MAKE RELATED RECOMMENDATIONS,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to request the Hawaii Climate Change Mitigation and Adaption Commission to:

(1) Develop vehicle miles traveled reduction strategies;

(2) Recommend a statewide vehicle miles traveled reduction target;

(3) Recommend benchmarks for, and evaluate progress toward, the vehicle miles traveled reduction target;

(4) Identify state and county agencies to collaborate and coordinate on the implementation of vehicle miles traveled reduction policies, strategies, and programs; and

(5) Submit a report of its findings and recommendations to the Legislature before the Regular Session of 2025.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaii Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Commission and Citizens' Climate Lobby Hawaii.

Your Committees received comments on this measure from the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development.

Your Committees find that although decarbonizing ground transportation is essential for the State to meet its ambitious greenhouse gas reduction goals, current strategies to mitigate vehicle miles traveled in the State are ineffective. The report requested in this measure would provide decision-makers with the information necessary to support and implement practical and efficient solutions that will help the State achieve carbon neutrality by 2045.

Your Committees have amended this measure by making a technical, nonsubstantive amendment for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Agriculture and Environment and Transportation and Culture and the Arts that are attached to this report, your Committees concur with the intent and purpose of S.R. No. 119, as amended herein, and recommend its adoption in the form attached hereto as S.R. No. 119, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Agriculture and Environment and Transportation and Culture and the Arts,

________________________________ CHRIS LEE, Chair

________________________________ MIKE GABBARD, Chair