STAND. COM. REP. NO. 657-26

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2026

RE: H.B. No. 2283

H.D. 1

Honorable Nadine K. Nakamura

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2026

State of Hawaii

Madame:

Your Committee on Transportation, to which was referred H.B. No. 2283 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PORT PILOTAGE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to clarify the consulting role and responsibilities of the Department of Transportation in the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs' development and implementation of pilot licensure standards, requirements, and criteria.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Transportation; Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs; Matson Navigation Company, Inc.; Hawaiʻi Harbors Users Group; Hawaiʻi Gas; and Hawaii Pilots Association.

Your Committee finds that port pilots play a critical role in ensuring the safe and efficient navigation of vessels carrying the vast majority of goods entering and leaving the State. While the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs is responsible for the licensure and regulation of port pilots, the Department of Transportation possesses operational expertise and firsthand knowledge of harbor conditions, vessel traffic, and long-term port planning that are integral to informed decision-making. By clarifying and formalizing the Department of Transportation's consultative role in establishing licensure standards, which will ensure that licensure decisions are grounded in operational realities, this measure enhances maritime safety, supports supply chain reliability, and safeguards the economic vitality of Hawaii's commercial ports.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Repealing the inclusion of Port Allen as part of the waters of the State that are regulated by statutory pilotage requirements;

(2) Changing the effective date to July 1, 3000, to encourage further discussion; and

(3) 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 Transportation that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2283, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2283, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Transportation,

____________________________

DARIUS KILA, Chair