Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2001

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 1164 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to clarify the use of conveyance tax moneys paid into the natural area reserve fund.

Specifically, the bill provides that sums subsequently disbursed to forest stewardship programs may be deposited into the forest stewardship fund established by section 195F-4, Hawaii Revised Statutes, and used to administer the forest stewardship program. The bill also appropriates $20,000 out of the forest stewardship fund to administer the forest stewardship program.

Your Committee finds that the forest stewardship program was established to assist private landowners in managing, protecting, and restoring important watersheds, native vegetation, timber resources, fish and wildlife habitats, and isolated populations of rare and endangered plants. This program enables landowners to develop and implement specific management practices to achieve a variety of objectives, including timber production, wildlife habitat improvement, watershed restoration, and forest recreation enhancement.

In the past, the administrative costs of this program have been funded through federal grants. Future federal grants, however, are unpredictable.

Your Committee finds that authorizing conveyance tax funds to be expended to administer the forest stewardship program and appropriating forest stewardship fund moneys will not only help protect Hawaii's natural resources, including privately owned forest lands, but also will support their responsible management.

Upon further consideration, your Committee has amended this bill by making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1164, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1164, S.D. 1.