Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2001

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Water, Land, Energy and Environment, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 86 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to convene a task force to assess the amendment of Article XI, section 3, of the Hawaii State Constitution, to include protection for "open lands" as an economic, physical, and sociocultural resource for present and future generations of residents and visitors.

Testimony in support of this measure was received from the Trust for Public Lands. The Land Use Research Foundation of Hawaii, Hawaii's Thousand Friends, and Life of the Land submitted testimony in opposition. The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) submitted comments.

Your Committee finds that land designations remain controversial in Hawaii, and that the changing role of agriculture and increasing urban development further add to the issues to be considered.

Your Committee finds that this measure is one approach and that it is important to keep the discussions open. Your Committee has amended this measure to make the Office of Planning the lead agency, rather than DLNR, but to retain DLNR as a member of the task force.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Water, Land, Energy and Environment that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 86, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to the Committee on Agriculture, in the form attached hereto as S.C.R. No. 86, S.D. 1.