THE SENATE

KA AHA KENEKOA

 

THE THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE

REGULAR SESSION OF 2026

 

COMMITTEE ON WATER, LAND, CULTURE AND THE ARTS

Senator Chris Lee, Chair

Senator Lorraine R. Inouye, Vice Chair

 

AMENDED NOTICE OF HEARING

 

DATE:

Monday, February 9, 2026

TIME:

1:00 PM

PLACE:

Conference Room 224 & Videoconference

State Capitol

415 South Beretania Street

 

 

PHOTO ID REQUIRED FOR ENTRANCE TO THE STATE CAPITOL

BUILDING HOURS: 7AM TO 5PM, MONDAY - FRIDAY

 

The Legislature is accepting written, videoconference, and in-person testimony at public hearings.

A live stream of all Senate Standing Committee meetings will be available on the Senate YouTube Channel.

 

 

A M E N D E D  A G E N D A

 

Due to predicted severe weather conditions, the State Capitol building will be closed on Monday, February 9, 2026. This meeting has been cancelled and will be rescheduled at a later date.

 

 

SB 2130

      Status & Testimony

RELATING TO HUNTING.

Requires the Department of Land and Natural Resources to amend its administrative rules to increase by 20% on each island the total acreage of public lands designated as public hunting areas for the hunting of game birds and game mammals.  Requires report to Legislature.

 

WLA, WAM

SB 2128

      Status & Testimony

RELATING TO TRESPASS.

Provides that any firearm or motor vehicle possessed and used by a person who hunts on private land without the permission of the owner or occupier of the land shall be forfeited to the State in accordance with chapter 712A, HRS.

 

WLA, JDC

SB 2186

      Status & Testimony

RELATING TO BLUE CARBON.

Requires the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development to establish a Statewide Blue Carbon Strategy.  Requires a report to the Legislature.

 

WLA, WAM

SB 2975

      Status & Testimony

RELATING TO MARINE LIFE CONSERVATION DISTRICTS.

Authorizes the Department of Land and Natural Resources to close all or portions of any marine life conservation district for various periods of time and to adopt rules for the regulation of commercial activity within a marine life conservation district.

 

WLA, CPN

SB 3053

      Status & Testimony

RELATING TO NATURAL RESOURCES.

Appropriates moneys to the Division of Aquatic Resources of the Department of Land and Natural Resources for mangrove removal and shoreline and stream maintenance in the Nineteenth Senatorial District and nearby areas, including the West Loch and Middle Loch shorelines.

 

WLA, WAM

SB 2005

      Status & Testimony

RELATING TO CONSERVATION BANKING.

Authorizes the use of conservation banks for compensatory mitigation in a habitat conservation plan and associated incidental take license.  Amends the membership and scope of authority for the Endangered Species Recovery Committee.

 

WLA, WAM

SB 2937

      Status & Testimony

RELATING TO SEARCH AND RESCUE.

Establishes the Search and Rescue Card Program and Search and Rescue Special Fund to reimburse state and county agencies and volunteer organizations for search and rescue operations.  Establishes reimbursement procedures for search and rescue operations.

 

WLA, WAM/JDC

SB 3288

      Status & Testimony

RELATING TO THE COUNTRY CLUB APARTMENT BUILDING, HILO, HAWAII.

Appropriates moneys to the Department of Land and Natural Resources to demolish and remove the Country Club Apartment Building and related structures and utilities located at 121 Banyan Drive, Hilo, Hawaii, on the parcel designated as Tax Map Key:  (3) 2-1-005:020.

 

WLA, WAM

SB 3291

      Status & Testimony

RELATING TO THE WAIKIKI WAR MEMORIAL COMPLEX.

Authorizes the issuance of general obligation bonds for capital improvement projects to rehabilitate the Waikiki War Memorial Natatorium and develop a Waikiki war memorial complex and War memorial center.

 

WLA, WAM

SB 2997

      Status & Testimony

RELATING TO ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENTS.

Removes historic sites and the Waikiki special district from the requirement for environmental assessments under section 343-5, HRS.

 

WLA, JDC

SB 3146

      Status & Testimony

RELATING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES.

Authorizes the Board of Land and Natural Resources to adopt, amend, or repeal administrative fee schedules for use of certain lands pursuant to a specified procedure and to exempt parking lot and concessions operations on such lands from the bidding requirements for concessions operated on public property.

 

WLA, WAM

 

 

 

 

Decision Making to follow, if time permits.

 

All testimony received by the Hawai‘i Senate is posted on the Hawai‘i Legislature's website, which is accessible to the public. Please do not include private information that you do not want disclosed to the public.

 

Please go to the Legislature's website, https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov, to submit written testimony at least 24 hours prior to the hearing. Create a free account on the website, or sign in to an existing account, then click on the "Participate" drop down menu and select the "Submit Testimony" option to get started. While submitting your written testimony, you will be prompted to indicate if you would also like to testify at the hearing in-person or remotely via videoconference.

 

Please note the following:

 

·        The number of oral testifiers and/or time allotted to each testifier may be limited by the Chair when necessary to adhere to the committee hearing schedule. We may not be able to accommodate everyone who requests to testify orally.

·        Testifiers for this hearing will be limited to 1 minute each.

 

If you wish to testify via videoconference during the hearing, please review the detailed step-by-step instructions for testimony procedures before you submit your written testimony. Here's a direct link to the instructions: https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/docs/testimonyinstructions.pdf

 

For general help navigating the committee hearing process, please contact the Public Access Room at (808) 587-0478 or par@capitol.hawaii.gov. You can also visit their website at https://lrb.hawaii.gov/par/.

 

For special assistance: The cable TV broadcast and/or live stream of this meeting will include closed captioning. If you need an auxiliary aid/service or other accommodation due to a disability, please call the committee clerk at the telephone number listed below or email WLAcommittee@capitol.hawaii.gov. Requests made as early as possible have a greater likelihood of being fulfilled.

 

For amended notices: Measures that have been deleted are stricken through and measures that have been added are underscored.  If a measure is both underscored and stricken through, that measure has been deleted from the agenda.

 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CALL THE COMMITTEE CLERK AT 808-587-8388.

 

 

 

 

_____________________________________

Senator Chris Lee

Chair