{"id":5071,"date":"2019-04-18T22:59:47","date_gmt":"2019-04-18T22:59:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hawaiioceannews.com\/?p=5071"},"modified":"2019-04-19T21:35:49","modified_gmt":"2019-04-19T21:35:49","slug":"hon_testimony_sb1257-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hawaiioceannews.com\/index.php\/2019\/04\/18\/hon_testimony_sb1257-2\/","title":{"rendered":"WE OPPOSE S.B. 1257 – Hawaii Ocean News S.B.1257 Testimony"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\tPlease Do Not Allow the Privatizing of Public Assets\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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THE STAFF AT HAWAII OCEAN NEWS UNANIMOUSLY OPPOSES THE PASSING OF S.B. 1257<\/span><\/p>\n

Regarding S.B1257<\/span>
\n(Relating to Use Permits for Small Boat Harbor Facilities)<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

To Our Legislature Conferees:<\/span><\/p>\n

Rep. Ryan Yamane <\/span>
\nRep. Chris Todd <\/span>
\nRep. Cynthia Thielen<\/span>
\nSenator Keith-Agaran<\/span>
\nSenator Sharon Moriwaki <\/span>
\nSenator Kaiali'i Kahele<\/span>
\nSenator Kurt Fevella<\/span><\/p>\n

The staff at Hawaii Ocean News strongly opposes S.B.1257<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Why?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Hawaii\u2019s public harbors are public lands and assets. Fee structures have already been determined by federal and State laws: COLA- based increases are usual and customary for public entities across the board.\u00a0 The State legislature has already determined that State harbor fee increases shall be held to 5% per annum (HRS 200-10(c)(4).\u00a0 Adjusting fee rates by appraisal is customarily done for commercial and private properties. Appraiser appointee, CBRE, in Honolulu, is primarily engaged in the business of large-scale commercial real estate and not in the business of appraising public harbors. \u00a0\u00a0If it is the intent of this committee to prepare Hawaii\u2019s public harbors for private takeover, then Conferees should say so.\u00a0 Otherwise, this bill\u2019s verbiage misrepresents its true intent, and this becomes bad-faith legislating.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

On this topic: why is it, in fact, that the legislature is even considering a measure about fee increases in public<\/em> harbors when it is simultaneously aware of, a) HB1032, a measure asking for unrestricted privatization of same and, b) fully aware of the DoBOR's advanced-stages progress to accomplish the same?\u00a0 If the public harbor system is soon to be privatized, wouldn't fee rates be determined by the new, private lessee? One might be tempted to think so. There is, then, only one inescapable conclusion: SB1257 is designed to give DoBOR some bargaining power during bidding. <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Regarding the section concerning liveaboard fee increases:<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The liveaboard fee is the elephant in the room, the skeleton in the closet of State of Hawaii rule-making.\u00a0 Liveaboards receive no more amenities than regular harbor tenants, yet they are forced to pay a hefty fee.\u00a0 There is a ton of credible evidence on this point, evidence that all of you already have in your hands, and we will not pursue it further here except to say that the fee should be rescinded completely.\u00a0 Right now, this fee is nothing more than creepy State-sponsored protection racketeering, at its most heinous.<\/span><\/p>\n

Instead of wasting taxpayers' time with silly, disingenuous legislation like this, there should be proactive initiatives in the legislature, in partnership with public consultation, to track down the reasons why Suzanne Case\u2019s DLNR and Ed Underwood\u2019s DoBOR have failed so miserably in the management of our public harbor system, Statewide.\u00a0 Recent case-in-point (2019):\u00a0 the DLNR\/DoBOR maintenance\/repair flub at the Ala Wai Small Boat Harbor has cost the Special Boating Fund nearly $200,000 in wasted revenue, yet these agencies continue to demand that boaters pay still more money (Chapter 13-234) for so-called \u201cuse\u201d fees to replenish this same fund \u00a0(Reference: the Coconut Wireless\/Ala Wai 800-pier debacle in February of this year).<\/span><\/p>\n

As many of our readers have already stated in their petition reactions regarding this issue (now in your hands): <\/span>Enough!<\/span><\/p>\n

Respectfully submitted,<\/span>
\nKatherine Lindell, Editor<\/span>
\nHawaii Ocean News<\/span><\/p>\n

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What's Going On<\/span><\/p>\n

Hawaii's legislature seems determined to set a precedent that will allow the unfettered leasing of Hawaii's public-owned submerged and fast lands to for-profit corporations, beginning with all of Hawaii's publicly held harbors.\u00a0 HB 1032 will face a final vote soon.\u00a0 HB 1032 states: \" . . . Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, the board may lease any existing state boating facility in its entirety, and fast lands and submerged lands within [an] any existing state boating facility, by public auction, a request for proposals, or by direct negotiation . . . .\"<\/span><\/p>\n

SB1257 is nothing more than a preliminary step in the privatization process; DOBOR has stated on record that it intends to hand over the Ala Wai -- and later, other public harbors -- to the highest bidding, private, for-profit corporate lessee.<\/span><\/p>\n

Please do not allow the passage of this irresponsible legislation.\u00a0 If these bills pass, a new precedent will be set allowing the eventual leasing of all of Hawaii's publicly held lands and assets, submerged<\/strong><\/em>, fast and dry lands.<\/span><\/p>\n

Please let your voice be heard.\u00a0 Hawaii is about its people, not about the individual agendas of the private financial self-interests that are ruining Hawaii now.<\/span><\/p>\n

Please join us in opposing these bills, and ones like them, forever.\u00a0 Please sign the petition below and let your voice be heard (Please Note: iPetitions.com provides this service to us for free.\u00a0 When you submit your signature, it will as for a donation.\u00a0 This is entirely voluntary and will not affect your entry)<\/em><\/span>:<\/span><\/p>\n

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