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Committee backs disaster‑recovery bill with DLNR, OPSD amendments
Summary
The committee voted to pass HB 1296 SD2 (disaster recovery) with amendments from DLNR and the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development. Proponents said the measure would streamline post‑disaster permitting, and witnesses discussed a five‑year rebuilding window and interplay with SMA and archaeological discovery rules.
House Committees on Water & Land and Public Safety voted to advance HB 1296 SD2 with amendments from DLNR and the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development (OPSD), the chairs said at the March 11 hearing.
DLNR witnesses said the measure would ease regulatory burdens after disasters by streamlining permit review and coordination with county planning departments. “We believe that it will help in the post‑disaster recovery process by easing some regulatory burdens,” said Ryan Konakkauole of the Department of Land and Natural Resources.
OPSD and DLNR discussed the bill’s relationship to existing coastal and shoreline rules. Members asked whether rebuilding properties lawfully constructed before enactment of HRS 6E (the historic‑preservation statute) or SMA (HRS 205A) would trigger archaeological stops. Michael Kane of DLNR said an inadvertent discovery during rebuilding would trigger HRS 6E protections and stop work consistent with the statute. Kane said DLNR and county planning departments had worked together on the written amendments.
OPSD clarified the proposed five‑year limit for exemptions intended to prevent indefinite use of disaster exemptions and to align with federal requirements for disaster recovery. OPSD said a five‑year window from the start of project formulation would be used to prevent indefinite construction exemptions.
The chair moved to pass HB 1296 SD2 with DLNR and OPSD amendments and technical changes; the joint committee approved the recommendation. The chairs also said they would defer the bill effective date to July 1, 3000 for the purposes of drafting technical language in the committee report.
The committee’s roll call recorded the measure as adopted on the recommendation of the chairs; the minutes show the bill will proceed with amendments for further action.
