STAND.
COM. REP. NO. 510-26
Honolulu, Hawaii
, 2026
RE: H.B. No. 2490
H.D. 2
Honorable Nadine K. Nakamura
Speaker, House of Representatives
Thirty-Third State Legislature
Regular Session of 2026
State of Hawaii
Madame:
Your Committee on Economic Development & Technology, to which was referred H.B. No. 2490, H.D. 1, entitled:
"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO COASTAL RESILIENCE,"
begs leave to report as follows:
The purpose of this measure is to:
(1) Establish a five-year Coastal Resilience Pilot Program within the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism for the preservation of Mantokuji Bay;
(2) Allow the pilot program to be exempt from certain regulatory requirements; and
(3) Require the State Historic Preservation Division to conduct a streamlined historic preservation review to evaluate measures approved under the pilot program.
Your Committee finds that severe coastal erosion at Mantokuji Bay threatens homes, cultural sites, transportation routes, and natural ecosystems and that existing parcel‑by‑parcel regulatory processes hinder comprehensive regional solutions. This measure establishes a five‑year pilot program to implement bay‑wide coastal resilience strategies using streamlined procedures while maintaining necessary environmental and cultural protections.
Your Committee notes that the State Historic Preservation Division has expressed concerns regarding the treatment of iwi kupuna that may be discovered during coastal restoration activities conducted under the pilot program. Amendments to this measure are therefore necessary to ensure that any such discoveries receive the full protections of Island Burial Council oversight and descendant consultation.
Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by:
(1) Replacing the State Historic Preservation Divison's requirement for an archaeological monitoring plan and inadvertent discovery protocol with an archaeological literature review and procedures for the discovery of Native Hawaiian skeletal remains; and
(2) 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 Economic Development & Technology that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2490, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to your Committee on Finance in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2490, H.D. 2.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Economic Development & Technology,
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____________________________ GREGGOR ILAGAN, Chair |
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