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 S.B. No. 2931, S.D. 1, entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to authorize the issuance of general obligation bonds for agricultural irrigation projects throughout the State.

Your Committee finds that the agriculture industry's lifeline is the delivery of reliable irrigation water. Currently, development and maintenance of agricultural water infrastructure systems is impossible without public funding.

This bill provides that funding to improve existing systems, through various means including renovation, rehabilitation, replacement conversion.

Your Committee has amended the bill by broadening the use of the bonds to include the planning and design of new water source developments.

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. 2931, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2931, S.D. 2.