Requesting The Department Of Land And Natural Resources To Convene A Kailua Bay Advisory Working Group.
HCR191 is a nonbinding House Concurrent Resolution that requests the Department of Land and Natural Resources to convene a Kailua Bay Advisory Working Group focused on Kailua Pier in Kailua-Kona. The resolution describes the pier and surrounding bay as a place of major cultural, historical, recreational, and economic importance, serving Native Hawaiian traditions, local community use, and tourism activity. It also notes persistent operational problems at the site, including homelessness, vandalism, restroom damage, sanitation concerns, parking issues, user conflicts, and environmental concerns such as water quality, marine life protection, and pollution.
The working group is intended to provide a structured forum for state, county, community, tourism, business, and cultural stakeholders to coordinate on interjurisdictional issues affecting the pier. It is asked to identify safety improvements, recommend repairs and funding needs, improve management and operations, and serve as a liaison between government and the public. The group would meet monthly and submit quarterly reports to the Legislature beginning in 2025 and continuing for two years, including any proposed legislation.
Because HCR191 is a concurrent resolution rather than a bill, it does not directly amend state law or create enforceable statutory requirements. Its practical effect is to ask DLNR, through the Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation, to organize a multi-agency advisory process and to include specified state, county, community, and private-sector representatives. The resolution also calls for ongoing reporting to the Legislature, which could inform future administrative actions, appropriations, or legislation related to Kailua Pier and Kailua Bay.
The available voting history suggests generally favorable sentiment toward the measure, with the Senate Water and Land Committee passing it unanimously and without amendment. The resolution’s findings frame the proposal as a collaborative response to a site that is both culturally significant and economically important, indicating broad support for coordinated management. No committee transcript was provided, so the record reflects support more than detailed debate.
The main points of tension are not about the creation of the working group itself, but about the underlying problems it is meant to address. The resolution highlights homelessness, vandalism, sanitation, and infrastructure damage as ongoing concerns, which may create differing priorities among stakeholders focused on public safety, visitor experience, cultural access, business activity, and humane responses to homelessness. Another likely area of contention is jurisdictional coordination, since responsibility for the pier is shared among state, county, federal, and community actors, and the resolution seeks to manage those overlapping roles through a formal advisory structure.