STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2572

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2360

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2024

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Agriculture and Environment, to which was referred S.B. No. 2360 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO CESSPOOL CONVERSIONS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Increase the maximum grant amount of the Cesspool Compliance Pilot Grant Project established pursuant to Act 153, Session Laws of Hawaii, from $20,000 to $30,000;

(2) Require the Department of Health to submit a report to the Legislature on the Cesspool Compliance Pilot Grant Project before the Regular Session of 2025;

(3) Appropriate $151,0000 for the establishment of:

(A) One full-time equivalent (1.0 FTE) program specialist V position within the Cesspool Compliance Pilot Grant Project; and

(B) One full-time equivalent (1.0 FTE) planner IV position within the Cesspool Compliance Pilot Grant Project; and

(4) Appropriate $5,000,000 for the Cesspool Compliance Pilot Grant Project.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Health, University of Hawaiʻi Sea Grant College Program, UH Water Resources Research Center, and Hulu Mamo Hawaiian Civic Club.

Your Committee finds that to reduce water pollution, unless exempted by the Department of Health, all cesspools in the State are required to be updated or converted to another method of waste disposal or connected to a sewerage system by January 1, 2050. Your Committee recognizes that given the high cost for property owners to comply with this legislative mandate, the Cesspool Conversion Working Group was convened pursuant to Act 132, Session Laws of Hawaii 2018, to facilitate the upgrade or conversion of cesspools on properties within priority upgrade areas to more environmentally-responsible waste treatment systems or the connection of these cesspools to sewer systems before 2050.

Your Committee recognizes the concerns raised by the Department of Health that increasing the grant amount may cause complications or issues with homeowners who received or will receive $20,000 grants. Accordingly, this measure needs to be amended to address this matter.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Deleting language that would have increased the maximum grant amount of the Cesspool Compliance Pilot Grant Project established pursuant to Act 153, Session Laws of Hawaii, from $20,000 to $30,000;

(2) Amending reference to the "University of Hawaii's 2022 Hawaii cesspool hazard assessment and prioritization tool" to the "University of Hawaii's 2022 Hawaii cesspool prioritization tool";

(3) Amending language to appropriate $249,0000 for the establishment of:

(A) One full-time equivalent (1.0 FTE) engineer V position within the Cesspool Compliance Pilot Grant Project;

(B) One full-time equivalent (1.0 FTE) engineer IV position within the Cesspool Compliance Pilot Grant Project; and

(C) One full-time equivalent (1.0 FTE) accountant IV position within the Cesspool Compliance Pilot Grant Project;

(4) Amending language to appropriate $5,249,000 for the Cesspool Compliance Pilot Grant Project; and

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

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Agriculture and Environment that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2360, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2360, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Agriculture and Environment,

________________________________

MIKE GABBARD, Chair