STAND. COM. REP. NO. 227

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    S.B. No. 784

       S.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2023

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Transportation and Culture and the Arts, to which was referred S.B. No. 784 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO AIRLINES,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

 

     (1)  Require the Department of Transportation to establish and implement a one-year Airline Subsidy Pilot Program at Molokai Airport to assist airlines in offsetting the costs of operation; and

 

     (2)  Appropriate funds.

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Transportation and two individuals.

 

     Your Committee finds that since January 2021, only one passenger airline has provided service to the general public out of Molokai Airport.  While the airline has done its best to accommodate the needs of passengers, including additional routes, flight times, and ordering larger planes, the cost of plane tickets remains prohibitive to many Molokai residents who need to travel for essential reasons, including work, medical appointments, and family.  To alleviate cost burdens for passengers reliant on air travel to and from Molokai, implementing a one-year Airline Subsidy Pilot Program may provide incentives for airlines to service Molokai.

 

     Your Committee has amended this measure by inserting an effective date of July 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Transportation and Culture and the Arts that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 784, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 784, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Transportation and Culture and the Arts,

 

 

 

________________________________

CHRIS LEE, Chair