STAND. COM. REP. NO. 316-00

                                 Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                   , 2000

                                 RE: H.B. No. 2400
                                     H.D. 1




Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say
Speaker, House of Representatives
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 2000
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committees on Agriculture and Water and Land Use, to
which was referred H.B. No. 2400 entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE STATE WATER CODE,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to allow more time to develop
the State Agricultural Water Use and Development Plan (Plan) by
extending until prior to the 2002 Regular Session, the submittal
of the Plan to the Legislature.

     The Department of Agriculture (DOA), the Department of Land
and Natural Resources, and the Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation
testified in support of this measure.  Comments were submitted by
the Big Island Farm Bureau.

     Your Committees note that Act 101, Session Laws of Hawaii
1998, mandated the development of the Plan, but since then, there
have been no funds appropriated to develop the Plan.  Your
Committees do recognize that DOA has been working on the Plan
using existing resources by working with staff of the Commission
on Water Resource Management at DLNR.  However, progress has been
slow.

     Accordingly, your Committees have amended this bill by:

     (1)  Including an appropriation of $100,000 for fiscal year
          2000-2001 to expedite development and completion of the
          Plan;

 
 
                                 STAND. COM. REP. NO. 316-00
                                 Page 2

 
     (2)  Making DOA the expending agency of the appropriation;
          and

     (3)  Changing the effective date to July 1, 2000.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your
Committees on Agriculture and Water and Land Use that are
attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the
intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2400, as amended herein, and
recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto
as H.B. No. 2400, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on
Finance.

                                   Respectfully submitted on
                                   behalf of the members of the
                                   Committees on Agriculture and
                                   Water and Land Use,

                                   
                                   
                                   
                                   
______________________________     ______________________________
ROMY M. CACHOLA, Chair             FELIPE P. ABINSAY, JR., Chair