Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2002

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred H.B. No. 2554 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to authorize the Board of Land and Natural Resources to lease, by direct negotiation and without recourse to public auction, state submerged lands or lands beneath tidal waters for private noncommercial piers.

Your Committee finds that 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. In May of 1998, the Board approved a plan to provide owners of illegal piers with the required permits to achieve compliance with state land use laws.

Your Committee finds, however, that upon notifying the pier owners of these actions, the Department discovered there were a few piers, belonging to the Kokokahi YWCA, Habilitat, Inc., and the Kaneohe Yacht Club, that did not clearly fall under the category of "residential", but did meet the "noncommercial" criterion of Act 261. This measure addresses the problem by deleting the "residential" requirement.

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 H.B. No. 2554, and recommends that it pass Third Reading.