STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1422

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2023

RE: S.B. No. 75

S.D. 2

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2023

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Water & Land, to which was referred S.B. No. 75, S.D. 2, entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funds to the Department of Land and Natural Resources' State Historic Preservation Division to expedite development of a comprehensive inventory of historic properties and burial sites located in the State, including conducting relevant archaeological surveys necessary to compile the inventory.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Land and Natural Resources, Historic Hawai‘i Foundation, Niu Valley Community Association, Society for Hawaiian Archaeology, Maui Chamber of Commerce, and four individuals. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from one individual.

Your Committee finds that historic property inventories and surveys are a crucial step in the historic preservation process. The context studies and inventories provide research; evaluation; and examples of patterns, themes, and trends in which a building, structure, site, object, or district is understood. The contexts provide information on meaning as well as the necessary background to understand why a given resource may be historically significant. The inventories then provide information on specific properties and features that convey that significance and are important to the cultural heritage of Hawaii.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Changing the means of financing for the appropriation to the Hawaii Historic Preservation Special Fund and inserting an appropriation of general revenues in an unspecified amount into the Hawaii Historic Preservation Special Fund;

(2) Changing its effective date to June 30, 3000, to encourage further discussion; and

(3) Making a technical, nonsubstantive amendment 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 an appropriation amount of $2,250,000 to be appropriated into and out of the Hawaii Historic Preservation Special Fund, to be allocated as follows:

(1) $750,000 for state-of-the-art archaeological surface surveys utilizing remote sensing, aerial, and satellite imagery;

(2) $750,000 for the collection of data regarding the locations of burial sites; and

(3) $750,000 for the development of an inventory of historic buildings, structures, and other properties.

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 S.B. No. 75, S.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 75, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

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

____________________________

LINDA ICHIYAMA, Chair