Committee actions: SB 15, SB 19, SB 145, SB 1083 and other measures (Feb. 5 hearing)

At the Feb. 5 hearing, the Senate Committee on Water and Land recorded the following dispositions on measures before it. Where the committee left an appropriation or position count unspecified, the committee noted those items would be blanked or have a defective effective date as recorded in the committee minutes.

Votes and dispositions (committee record):

- SB 15 (historic preservation): Passed unamended; chair recommended pass; record shows five ayes and recommendation adopted.
- SB 19 (DLNR positions, Division of Aquatic Resources): Passed with amendments; committee set a defective effective date of 07/01/2050 and blanked appropriation amounts; recommendation adopted.
- SB 145 (declaration of water shortage): Passed unamended; chair recommended pass; recommendation adopted.
- SB 244 (parrotfish/spearfishing): Deferred after extended testimony and written submissions of support and opposition.
- SB 427 (land leases): Deferred; committee cited existing statutes and BLNR processes and requested further review.
- SB 457 (submerged land reclamation/penalties): Deferred; DLNR said current statutes and board practice are adequate for many cases.
- SB 740 (special permits/monitoring compliance): Passed unamended; chair recommended pass and recommendation adopted.
- SB 839 (aquarium fishing penalties): Deferred; DLNR testified existing tiered penalties and board discretion address many concerns.
- SB 1018 (real estate shoreline disclosures): Deferred; DLNR and Hawaii Realtors discussed existing disclosure forms and oceanfront property addendum.
- SB 1083 (port infrastructure/dredging): Passed with amendments and defective effective date 07/01/2050; committee moved the measure forward with amendments.
- SB 1084 (DLNR positions appropriation): Passed with amendments; defective effective date set and positions/amounts blanked in committee action; recommendation adopted.
- SB 1099 (important agricultural lands): Passed unamended; recommendation adopted.

Why it matters: The committee forwarded a mix of appropriations and policy measures, advancing several bills with amendments (notably infrastructure and DLNR staffing items) and deferring measures that raised contested policy or implementation issues (notably parrotfish protections and lease/land disposition reforms).

Committee note: The committee record indicates further stakeholder engagement or clarification will be sought on deferred items before returning to committee for reconsideration.