Bill Text: HI HB2615 | 2012 | Regular Session | Amended

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Bill Title: Harbors Fireboat

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2012-02-10 - (H) Passed Second Reading and referred to the committee(s) on FIN with Representative(s) Rhoads voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) C. Lee, M. Lee excused (2). [HB2615 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2012-HB2615-Amended.html

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STAND. COM. REP. NO.  287-12

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2012

 

RE:   H.B. No. 2615

 

 

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2012

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committees on Transportation and Public Safety & Military Affairs, to which was referred H.B. No. 2615 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HARBORS FIREBOAT,"

 

beg leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this measure is to improve the efficiency of the State Department of Transportation's Harbors Division by repealing the statutory requirement that the Department of Transportation reimburse the City and County of Honolulu for the operation and maintenance of the State fire boat to allow for more economical management and more comprehensive marine incident response and operational capabilities.

 

     The Department of Transportation testified in support of this measure.

 

     In 1951, harbor fire boat operations and maintenance were turned over to the City and County of Honolulu with the Department of Transportation paying for the operational and maintenance costs of the fire boat with moneys from the Harbor Special Fund.  While the fire boat is an important component in responding to a landside fire in the harbor vicinity as well as participating in any marine incident response, the United States Coast Guard recently updated its marine firefighting and salvage regulations with which commercial vessel owners and operators must comply.  As marine firefighting requires different training and techniques than landside structure firefighting, the Department of Transportation needs the flexibility to establish a more comprehensive response program and achieve cost savings through economies of scale and expertise of the marine response community.

 

     Your Committees note that this measure does not cease operations of the fire boat but merely allows the Harbors Division to pursue fire boat management alternatives ranging from contracting out for management services to entering into an agreement with an existing marine casualty response organization.

 

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Transportation and Public Safety & Military Affairs that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2615 and recommend that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

 

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Transportation and Public Safety & Military Affairs,

 

 

____________________________ HENRY J.C. AQUINO, Chair		____________________________ JOSEPH M. SOUKI, Chair