STAND. COM. REP. NO.  272-10

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2010

 

RE:   H.B. No. 2301

      H.D. 1

 

 

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2010

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Transportation, to which was referred H.B. No. 2301 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO TRANSFER OF STATE HIGHWAYS,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this bill is to increase efficiency in the construction and maintenance of highways in Hawaii by establishing a pilot project that provides for the transfer of all state highway functions, including the necessary staff and funding, on the islands of Maui, Molokai, and Lanai now being carried out by the State Department of Transportation (DOT) to the County of Maui.

 

     A concerned individual supported this bill with amendments.  The Mayor of the County of Maui and DOT testified in opposition to this measure.

 

     Hawaii differs from the rest of the nation in that its unique geographic distinction as an island state does not lend itself to a true intrastate or interstate highway system.  This has resulted in a system where the State, through DOT, holds jurisdiction over all federal aid highways while the counties hold jurisdiction to all other roadways and highways.  However, this has also resulted in duplicative functions being performed, with both the State and counties sharing overlapping functions for the construction and maintenance of highways.  Given the fiscal crisis currently facing the State, it would be prudent to examine the elimination of the duplicative state and county highway functions through the establishment of a pilot project.

 

     Your Committee understands the concerns raised by both the County of Maui and DOT that transferring all state highway functions, including construction of highways, to the County of Maui may not be economically feasible for Maui County and could jeopardize the receipt of federal aid highway funding.  However, your Committee notes that according to DOT, transferring highway maintenance functions through a pilot project would not appear to jeopardize such funding.  Accordingly, your Committee has amended this bill by:

 

     (1)  Stipulating that the pilot project will only transfer state highway maintenance functions now being carried out by DOT to the County of Maui;

 

     (2)  Deleting language transferring all functions, except for highway maintenance functions, to the County of Maui; and

 

     (3)  Replacing references to the Department of Transportation of the County of Maui to the Department of Public Works of the County of Maui as that is the proper department with jurisdiction over highways.

 

     Technical, nonsubstantive amendments were also made for clarity, consistency, and style.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Transportation that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2301, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2301, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Transportation,

 

 

 

 

____________________________

JOSEPH M. SOUKI, Chair