Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2001

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Water and Land Use, to which was referred H.B. No. 375 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to create a task force to assimilate information, from which an appropriate Hawaii cave law may be subsequently enacted.

Unlike other states, Hawaii has no statute regarding cave law. Without protection, this unique resource of complex volcanic tubes containing delicately balanced flora and fauna, cave dwelling animals, and irreplaceable cultural features such as petroglyphs and burial remains, may be forever destroyed.

The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) and the owner of Ka'eleku Caverns on Hawaii submitted testimony in support of this measure. DLNR testified that it would convene the task force without any additional appropriations, provided that the Administration's budget request for LNR 802 receives full funding.

Your Committee has amended this bill by:

(1) Deleting the appropriation sections; and

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. 375, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 375, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.