STAND. COM. REP. NO.411

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2001

RE: H.B. No. 666

H.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2001

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred H.B. No. 666 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO INDIVIDUAL WASTEWATER SYSTEMS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to promote the effective enforcement of Hawaii's clean water laws by:

(1) Authorizing the Department of Health to delegate to the counties the regulation of individual wastewater systems; and

(2) Appropriating grant-in-aid funds to the Counties of Maui, Kauai, and Hawaii, and the City and County of Honolulu for the financing of county operations costs incurred from the regulation of individual wastewater systems.

Supportive testimony was submitted by the Department of Health, the Office of the Lieutenant Governor, and the Mayor of the County of Hawaii. The Hawaii Government Employees Association, AFSCME, Local 152, AFL-CIO opposed the bill. Comments were also submitted by the Office of the Mayor of the County of Hawaii (Mayor's Office).

 

Your Committee finds that the delegation of individual wastewater systems regulation to the counties would significantly decrease the processing time for building permits by eliminating the need for the public to submit their building permit applications to the Department of Health.

However, your Committee also acknowledges that all of the counties have not submitted estimates on the operational funds that would be necessary to implement these new responsibilities.

After careful consideration, your Committee has amended this bill as follows:

(1) Changed the appropriation amount to $1 for purposes of facilitating continued discussion on this measure;

(2) Clarified that the transfer of functions shall not affect the benefits or privileges of employees that have accrued; and

(3) Made technical, nonsubstantive amendments were made for purposes of clarity, style, and conformity.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 666, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to the Committee on Finance, in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 666, H.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs,

____________________________

ERIC G. HAMAKAWA, Chair