Provides for a 15-year lease extension and proper payment for livestock when DLNR exercises its right to use public lands for Saddle Road widening on the County of Hawaii. (SD1)

A BILL FOR AN ACT

SECTION 1. The legislature finds that the widening of Saddle Road, County of Hawaii, required that the department of land and natural resources withdraw all or a portion of the lands of certain ranchers holding public land leases for pasture or special livestock use. Consequently, the ranchers suffered serious financial losses.

The 2000 legislature in enacting Act 55 recognized that in unique and critical situations, it is sometimes necessary to make exceptions to public land leasing policies. Under this policy established in Act 55, the legislature believes that the case of ranchers affected by the Saddle Road widening project constitutes a unique and critical situation that warrants such an exception.

The purpose of this Act is to provide for an exception to the public land leasing policies of the department of land and natural resources by directing the department to extend, by fifteen years, the leases of the ranchers who were or will be affected by the widening of Saddle Road, County of Hawaii.

SECTION 2. Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, the department of land and natural resources (hereinafter department) shall issue a fifteen-year lease extension to the following ranchers who have been or will be affected by the widening of Saddle Road, County of Hawaii:

The department shall also authorize the lessees to utilize ten per cent of remaining land for alternative agriculture.

SECTION 3. All costs for the issuance of the extended lease shall be paid for by the lessees interested in the lease extension.

SECTION 4. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2001.