STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1261
Honolulu, Hawaii
RE: H.B. No. 1193
H.D. 1
S.D. 1
Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi
President of the Senate
Thirty-First State Legislature
Regular Session of 2021
State of Hawaii
Sir:
Your Committees on Labor, Culture and the Arts and Government Operations, to which was referred H.B. No. 1193, H.D. 1, entitled:
"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS FOR THE STATE,"
beg leave to report as follows:
The purpose and intent of this measure is to appropriate funds for capital improvement projects relating to Iolani Palace and the State Archives.
Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Accounting and General Services; Department of Land and Natural Resources; The Friends of Iolani Palace; Oahu Economic Development Board; Aloha State Services, Ltd.; Historic Hawai‘i Foundation; and ten individuals. Your Committees received comments on this measure from the Department of Budget and Finance.
Your Committees find that Iolani Palace and
the State Archives are irreplaceable parts of the State's legacy, history,
culture, and identity. Iolani Palace, which
was constructed in 1879, is a living restoration of a proud Hawaiian national
identity, a registered National Historic Landmark, and the only palace of
official royal residence in the United States.
The 142-year-old palace is an important cultural and historical landmark
that represents the dignity and unique history of the people of Hawaii. According to the Department of Land and
Natural Resources (DLNR), the
last time portions of the palace's roof were repaired was over two decades ago
in 2000, and due to increasing decay and leakage during rain, the roof and
various other architectural elements of the palace are deteriorating. For example, The Friends of Iolani Palace, the
non-profit corporation that preserves, restores, and protects the Iolani
Palace, testified that the top-portion of the palace's decorative columns
made of lead and weighing approximately three pounds, had recently broken off and
fell to the ground. According to DLNR, after the last major storm event, the
leakage has expanded to other areas within the palace and threatens the
integrity of the exhibits.
The State Archives is responsible for collecting,
arranging, describing, and making accessible the public archives of the State. According to the Department of
Accounting and General Services (DAGS),
the State Archives facility, which was designed in 1954, is severely outdated
in both form and function. The facility
is currently at ninety-four percent of its approximately 14,000 cubic feet of storage-capacity
and is projected to reach full capacity in five years. The current facility's electrical grid cannot
accommodate the millions of electronic records being created. Furthermore, the facility's space limitations
are severely impinging upon the State Archive's ability to conduct utility
classroom activities and make educational and outreach efforts to the public
and school groups while serving patrons conducting archival research; display the
historical artifacts it holds in the public trust; collect archives and conduct
proper processing and conservation of the materials; and engage more volunteers
to assist its staff, thereby reducing the number of records that can be made
available to the public. Your Committees further find that the coronavirus disease
2019 pandemic, which greatly disrupted the public's ability to travel and access
the State Archive records in person, highlighted the need to post more of the
records online to be accessible to people around the world, twenty-four hours a
day, seven days a week. However, the State
Archive's current facility is incapable of providing the digitization
infrastructure necessary for such large-scale access.
This measure serves to protect the unique
history of Hawaii by appropriating funds for needed repairs and updates for the
Iolani Palace and State Archives.
Your Committees note testimony of the Department of Budget and Finance, advising that general obligation bonds cannot be used for operating costs. Your Committees also note that H.B. No. 777, S.D. 1, scheduled to be considered by your Committee on Labor, Culture and the Arts immediately following this measure, proposes to authorize the funding of the State of Hawaii Museum of Natural and Cultural History aka the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum (Bishop Museum) and the State of Hawaii Museum of Monarchy History aka Iolani Palace, using the Works of Art Special Fund. The State Foundation on Culture and the Arts submitted testimony opposing H.B. No. 777, S.D. 1, stating that this measure is better suited to appropriate the funds being sought by the Bishop Museum and Iolani Palace.
Accordingly, your Committees have amended this measure by:
(1) Inserting $2,965,000 as the sum of general obligation
bonds the Director of Finance is authorized to issue under this measure for the
purposes of financing the following capital improvement projects:
(A) Iolani Palace:
$1,000,000 for construction and equipment for renovation and improvements
to the roof, to be expended by DLNR;
(B) State
Archives: $1,000,000 for development of
a state archives master plan to include the expansion and creation of new
collections processing and storage, administrative, public research,
exhibition, and community engagement spaces, to be expended by DAGS;
(C) Bishop Museum:
A total of $965,000 for plans, design, construction, and equipment for
renovations and improvements, for the following, to be expended by DAGS:
(i) $240,000 for installation of fire sprinkler systems
in Pauahi Building;
(ii) $100,000
for nitrate removal and fire safety improvements in Pauahi Building;
(iii) $375,000 for fire rated egress improvements
for Konia Building; and
(iv) $250,000 to repair water infiltration in Hale
Kini Building; and
(2) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments
for the purposes of clarity and consistency.
As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Labor, Culture and the Arts and Government Operations that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1193, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1193, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Labor, Culture and the Arts and Government Operations,
________________________________ SHARON MORIWAKI, Chair |
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________________________________ BRIAN T. TANIGUCHI, Chair |
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