Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2002

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Water and Land Use, to which was referred H.B. No. 2554 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to enable the State to lease, by direct negotiation, state submerged lands to owners of unauthorized piers in Kaneohe Bay, Oahu. This bill eliminates the requirement that this authorization only applies to residential piers.

The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) testified in support of this bill.

Act 261, Session Laws of Hawaii 2000, authorized the Board of Land and Natural Resources to lease, by direct negotiation and without public auction, state submerged lands for private, residential, noncommercial piers to the owners of unauthorized piers in Kaneohe Bay, in particular. The intent was to address the problem of illegal piers by providing the owners with the required permits to achieve compliance with state laws. However, DLNR determined that three piers, belonging to the Kokokahi YWCA, Habilitat, Inc., and the Kaneohe Yacht Club, did not qualify as "residential" piers. This bill addresses the problem by deleting the "residential" requirement.

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. 2554 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Finance.