HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.C.R. NO.	84
THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2023
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

requesting the auditor to conduct a performance audit of all the programs within the state historic preservation division of the department of land and natural resources.

 

 

     WHEREAS, the Department of Land and Natural Resources' State Historic Preservation Division serves to protect and preserve historic properties significant to Hawaii's history through several program areas; and

 

     WHEREAS, the State Historic Preservation Division has indicated that it has faced challenges with insufficient staffing and funding, which hinder its ability to carry out its important duties and responsibilities in a timely manner; and

 

     WHEREAS, under section 23-5, Hawaii Revised Statutes, the Auditor may examine and inspect all accounts, books, records, files, papers, and documents and all financial affairs of every department, office, agency, and political subdivision;

now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Thirty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2023, the Senate concurring, that the Auditor is requested to conduct a performance audit of all the programs within the State Historic Preservation Division of the Department of Land and Natural Resources; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the performance audit is requested to include but not be limited to:

 

     (1)  Whether the State Historic Preservation Division has adequate staffing and resources to conduct timely project reviews;

 

     (2)  An evaluation of whether the review and response to submittals is completed within the timeframes established by rule;

 

     (3)  Current project review practices, including efforts to identify categorical exemptions; historic properties and districts that should have special protections or treatment; identification of types of sites that do not require permit review; filing systems; and efforts to streamline processes such as the discovery process for burial sites;

 

     (4)  Record retention methodologies;

 

     (5)  Standardization of monitoring protocols, including the establishment of cultural impact assessment guidance;

 

     (6)  The actions, initiatives, and performance of the State Historic Preservation Division to address the existing project review backlog; and

 

     (7)  Any recommended improvements, including proposed legislation, to update, redefine or realign the State Historic Preservation Division's mission and organization based on balancing cultural and historic preservation with the State's evolving land development needs; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Auditor shall submit a report of its findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2024; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Auditor, Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources, and Administrator of the State Historic Preservation Division.

 

 

 

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title: 

State Auditor; Performance Audit; Department of Land and Natural Resources; State Historic Preservation Division;