STAND. COM. REP. NO. 247

                                 Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                   , 1999

                                 RE: H.B. No. 1183
                                     H.D. 1




Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say
Speaker, House of Representatives
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 1999
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committees on Water and Land Use and Ocean Recreation
and Marine Resources, to which was referred H.B. No. 1183
entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO BEACH LANDS,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to provide for restoration of
beach lands.  

     Your Committees received testimony as follows:

     1.   Office of Planning of the Department of Business,
          Economic Development, and Tourism, Board of Land and
          Natural Resources, City and County of Honolulu
          Department of Planning and Permitting, a University of
          Hawaii professor, Sierra Club Hawaii Chapter, in
          support; 

     2.   Office of Hawaiian Affairs, three private citizens, in
          opposition; and

     3.   One private citizen, offering comment.  

     Your Committees find that loss of sandy beaches is a major
environmental, social and economic problem.  Nearly 25 percent or
17 miles of sandy beaches on Oahu have been lost or severely
narrowed over the past 70 years, and similar losses have occurred
on Maui, and to a lesser extent, Kauai and Hawaii.  To reverse
this loss, the Department of Land and Natural Resources and the
University of Hawaii Department of Geology and Geophysics
developed the Coastal Erosion Master Plan (COEMAP) in 1997 which
made technical and policy recommendations for shore and beach
management and protection.  Subsequently, the Department of Land

 
                                 STAND. COM. REP. NO. 247
                                 Page 2

 
and Natural Resources established the Coastal Lands Program to
implement the COEMAP recommendations. 

     The Coastal Lands Program, in order to fully carry out its
mission, requires statutory authorization and funding.  Private
landowners affected by beach restoration action may receive
substantial benefit from the improvements and the Department of
Land and Natural Resources should actively seek contributions
from such landowners to help fund the beach restoration projects.

     Your Committees revised the bill by:  

     1.   Requiring the permission of any owners of private land
          affected by beach restoration; 

     2.   Clarifying that only state-owned land may be leased or
          developed; 

     3.   Removing the $500,000 limit on revenues generated from
          the leasing of coastal lands under this part; 

     4.   Changing the effective date for the appropriations to
          July 1, 1999; and 

     4.   Making technical, non-substantive changes for the
          purposes of style and clarity.  

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your
Committees on Water and Land Use and Ocean Recreation and Marine
Resources that are attached to this report, your Committees are
in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1183, as
amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the
form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1183, H.D. 1, and be referred to
the Committee on Finance.

                                   Respectfully submitted on
                                   behalf of the members of the
                                   Committees on Water and Land
                                   Use and Ocean Recreation and
                                   Marine Resources,

                                   
                                   
                                   
                                   
______________________________     ______________________________
ROY M. TAKUMI, Chair               ROMY M. CACHOLA, Chair