A legislative proposal to create more independence for the state Water Commission is receiving pushback from House members in conference committee.
House Bill 2690 was initially aimed to address remediation efforts in the wake of Red Hill’s fuel contamination, but senators later amended the bill to include language addressing the needs of the Water Commission.
Disagreement between the two chambers centers on concerns raised by the state attorney general’s office that the amendment to include the Water Commission is not relevant to the original bill.
Sen. Lorraine Inouye, chair of the Water and Land Committee, disagrees.
"We know the amendments are germane within the original bill because they fit within the bill title ʻRelating to Waterʻ and seek to remedy problems, we identified last session after assessing the response to the Red Hill issue like the need for the Water Commission to have emergency authority and increased penalties," Inouye said.
"That these problems are not unique to Red Hill, only adds to the urgency of passing this measure in the most complete form possible. These problems will continue to happen if we do not act now," she continued.
Rep. Linda Ichiyama, chair of the Water and Land Committee, said she’s open to continued conversation, but both chambers are ‘so far apart’ in agreeing to a final version of the bill.
Members of the conference committee on HB2690 are set to meet Thursday for further negotiation at 10:15 a.m. in Conference Room 229. The meeting will be streamed live on the Senate's YouTube channel.
