STAND. COM. REP. NO.  522

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2013

 

RE:   H.B. No. 912

      H.D. 1

 

 

 

 

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2013

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committees on Energy & Environmental Protection and Health, to which was referred H.B. No. 912 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE OFFICE OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY CONTROL,"

 

beg leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this measure is to establish a special fund and fees to assist in funding the activities of the Office of Environmental Quality Control and the Environmental Council to:

 

     (1)  Support, modernize, and maintain technology systems;

 

     (2)  Support outreach, training, education, and research; and

 

     (3)  Provide for the hiring of adequate staff.

 

     The Office of Environmental Quality Control, the Environmental Council, Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Conservation Council for Hawaii, The Nature Conservancy, Sierra Club Hawaii Chapter, and an individual provided testimony in support of this measure.  The Building Industry Association of Hawaii and The Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii provided testimony in opposition to this measure.  Hawaii's Thousand Friends provided comments on this measure.

 


     Your Committees have amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Providing that the Office of Environmental Quality Control shall not collect more than $250,000 in filing fees in each fiscal year; and

 

     (2)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

 

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Energy & Environmental Protection and Health that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 912, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 912, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Energy & Environmental Protection and Health,

 

 

____________________________

DELLA AU BELATTI, Chair

 

____________________________

CHRIS LEE, Chair