STAND. COM. REP. NO. 868

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    S.B. No. 1229

 

 

 

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2017

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 1229 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL COURTS,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to exempt proceedings that relate to parking violations under applicable administrative rules from the exclusive, original jurisdiction of the environmental courts.

 

     The Department of Land and Natural Resources submitted written comments in support of this measure.

 

     Your Committee finds that many parking violations do not directly or severely impact the State's natural or cultural resources.  Therefore, this measure will allow those violations to be more easily and efficiently processed through the district courts or the Traffic Violations Bureau of the First Circuit, rather than the environmental courts.  Your Committee notes that, under this measure, parking violations that may impact the State's natural or cultural resources will still be prosecuted in the environmental courts.  Your Committee therefore believes that this measure will alleviate the burden placed on the environmental courts, while also allowing those courts to focus resources on cases likely to have an environmental impact.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1229 and recommends that it pass Third Reading.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

 

 

 

________________________________

JILL N. TOKUDA, Chair