STAND. COM. REP. NO. 179

                                   Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                     , 1999

                                   RE:  S.B. No. 461





Honorable Norman Mizuguchi
President of the Senate
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 1999
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Water, Land and Hawaiian Affairs, to which
was referred S.B. No. 461 entitled:

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HAWAIIAN FISHPONDS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to amend the laws relating to
the management and leasing of government-owned fishponds.

     Specifically, the measure:

     (1)  Requires that prior to any leasing of a government-
          owned Hawaiian fishpond, the Board of Land and Natural
          Resources must first obtain the concurrence of either
          the chairperson of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs'
          Board of Trustees or the chairperson's designee; and

     (2)  Expands the scope of the Board of Land and Natural
          Resources' power to manage and restore Hawaiian
          fishponds to include traditional and subsistence forms
          of fishpond management.

     Testimony in support of the measure was received from the
Office of Hawaiian Affairs.

     The Department of Land and Natural Resources opposed the
measure.


 
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                                   STAND. COM. REP. NO. 179
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     Your Committee finds that Hawaiian fishponds are a valuable
cultural asset.  As such, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, as the
state-designated entity to safeguard cultural assets, should be a
signatory to matters concerning the use, management, and
restoration of government-owned fishponds.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Water, Land, and Hawaiian Affairs that is attached
to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and
purpose of S.B. No. 461 and recommends that it pass Second
Reading and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

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



                                   ______________________________
                                   COLLEEN HANABUSA, Chair

 
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