Hawaii Senate Bill SB1083

Hawaii 2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/17/25
• Refer: 1/23/25
• Report Pass: 2/12/25
• Refer: 2/12/25
• Report Pass: 2/27/25
• Engrossed: 3/4/25
• Refer: 3/6/25
• Report Pass: 3/20/25
• Refer: 3/20/25

Caption

RELATING TO PORT INFRASTRUCTURE.

Summary

SB1083 addresses maintenance dredging for Hawaii’s state small boat harbors, boat launch ramp facilities, and other state boating waterways. The bill finds that dredging is essential to keep these facilities usable and safe, noting that sediment and debris can accumulate to the point of damaging vessels or forcing closures. It also states that the current practice of waiting until dredging is immediately needed before seeking funding and permits creates a disorganized and inefficient process. The bill would require the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) to include line-item funding for maintenance dredging in its annual budget request beginning with the fiscal biennium 2027-2029. It also appropriates general funds for fiscal years 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 for design, permitting, and dredging work at state small boat harbors, boat launch ramps, and other boating facilities and waterways as identified by DLNR. The measure is framed as a budgeting and infrastructure management change, not a broad regulatory overhaul.

Impact

SB1083 would amend Chapter 200, Hawaii Revised Statutes, by adding a new requirement that DLNR include maintenance dredging funding in its annual budget request for state small boat harbor facilities. It also creates a direct appropriation from general revenues for dredging-related work, shifting the state toward a more proactive funding and planning approach for harbor maintenance. The bill primarily affects DLNR, state boating facilities, harbor users, and communities that rely on small boat harbors for recreation and subsistence fishing.

Sentiment

The bill appears to have been received positively in committee, with unanimous or near-unanimous support in the Senate Water and Land Committee and the Senate Ways and Means Committee, both passing it with amendments and no recorded opposition. The committee history suggests broad agreement that dredging is a necessary maintenance function and that better advance planning is desirable. The measure advanced to the House Finance Committee after passing second reading as amended in HD 1.

Contention

There is little evidence of substantive opposition in the available record, but the main policy issue is how dredging should be funded and scheduled. Supporters emphasize safety, navigability, and avoiding emergency conditions, while the bill’s approach of requiring recurring line-item budget requests may raise questions about fiscal prioritization, the size of the appropriation, and how DLNR will identify and sequence projects. The delayed effective date of July 1, 3000 appears to be a drafting placeholder rather than a policy dispute, but it is a notable feature of the text.