STAND. COM. REP. NO. 465-00

                                 Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                   , 2000

                                 RE: H.B. No. 2576
                                     




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

Sir:

     Your Committee on Water and Land Use, to which was referred
H.B. No. 2576 entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE WATER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
     FUND,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to establish a Water Resource
Management Fund (Fund) in the Department of Land and Natural
Resources (DLNR).  This bill adds a new section to Part I of
Chapter 174C, Hawaii Revised Statutes (HRS).  The State
Constitution (Article XI, Section 7) and the State Water Code
(Chapter 174C, HRS) require the Commission on Water Resource
Management (Commission) to set overall water conservation,
quality, and use policies, to protect water resources,
watersheds, and natural stream environments, to assure water
rights, including Hawaiian water rights, to establish criteria
for water use priorities, and to comprehensively plan for our
water resources to address the problems of supply and
conservation of water.

     The Fund would allow the Commission to implement monitoring,
management, resource protection programs/activities, and
enforcement necessary to sustain the State's resources. The Fund
would also allow the development and regular updating of the
Hawaii Water Plan using state-of-the-art methods such as
Integrated Resource Planning. 


 
 
 
                                 STAND. COM. REP. NO. 465-00
                                 Page 2

 
     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Water and Land Use that is attached to this report,
your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B.
No. 2576 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be
referred to the Committee on Finance.

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



                                   ______________________________
                                   ROMY M. CACHOLA, Chair