Hawaii Senate Bill SB205

Hawaii 2025 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/15/25
• Refer: 1/17/25

Caption

Relating To The Commission On Water Resource Management.

Summary

SB205 would expand the Commission on Water Resource Management from seven to eight members and add the chairperson of the Hawaiian Homes Commission, or the chairperson’s designee, as an ex officio voting member. The bill also makes a conforming change to clarify that the director of health, or the director’s designee, remains an ex officio voting member, and it preserves the existing structure in which five members are gubernatorial appointees confirmed by the Senate and the chair of the Board of Land and Natural Resources serves as commission chair. The bill is tied to the State Water Code and the legislature’s finding that commission decisions must protect adequate water reserves for current and foreseeable development and use of Hawaiian home lands. By adding the Hawaiian Homes Commission to the body, the bill aims to ensure that Hawaiian home lands have a direct voice in water resource management decisions affecting allocation, planning, and administration of water resources.

Impact

SB205 would amend section 174C-7, Hawaii Revised Statutes, by increasing the membership of the Commission on Water Resource Management and adding a new ex officio voting seat for the Hawaiian Homes Commission chairperson or designee. This would directly affect the composition and decision-making structure of the commission, which has exclusive jurisdiction over implementation and administration of the state water code. The bill would also reinforce statutory recognition of Hawaiian home lands’ water needs under chapter 174C and could influence future water allocation and resource management decisions involving DHHL lands and related stakeholders.

Sentiment

Based on the bill text and available context, the measure appears generally supportive of Hawaiian home lands interests and is framed as a targeted governance change rather than a broad policy overhaul. There are no committee transcripts or recorded votes provided, so no formal opposition or support can be identified from the legislative record included here. The overall tone of the bill is affirmative and corrective, emphasizing representation and statutory alignment with existing water-rights protections for Hawaiian home lands.

Contention

The main potential point of contention is the addition of another voting member to a commission that already has exclusive authority over water code administration, which may raise questions about balance, representation, and decision-making dynamics among water users, state agencies, and Native Hawaiian interests. Another possible issue is whether the Hawaiian Homes Commission should have a direct voting seat on a body that makes statewide water management decisions, especially where competing claims or allocations are involved. No specific objections are documented in the provided materials, but these are the likely areas where debate would arise.