STAND

STAND. COM. REP. NO.925

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2003

RE: S.B. No. 1034

S.D. 1

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2003

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 1034, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO AGRICULTURAL LANDS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to allow the Department of Agriculture, upon mutual agreement and approval of the Board of Agriculture and the Board of Land and Natural Resources, to accept the transfer of and to manage public lands that are classified for agricultural use by the Department of Land and Natural Resources.

This measure applies specifically to public lands and related facilities leased or available for lease by the Department of Land and Natural Resources for the care and production of livestock, livestock products, poultry, or poultry products, or apiary, horticultural, or floricultural products, or the planting, cultivating, and harvesting of crops or trees.

In addition, this measure:

(1) Establishes the "other agricultural lands special fund" and requires all revenues received by the Department of Agriculture from transferred agricultural lands to be deposited into the special fund and used for purposes approved by the Board of Agriculture;

(2) Requires the Department of Agriculture to establish criteria and rules to convert qualified and encumbered agricultural lands to Department of Agriculture leases and other forms of encumbrance;

(3) Requires the Board of Agriculture to establish criteria and rules to allow the cancellation, renegotiation, and extension of encumbrances transferred to the Department of Agriculture; and

(4) Requires the Board of Agriculture and the Board of Land and Natural Resources to report jointly to the Legislature on their efforts to carry out the transfers authorized by this measure prior to the Regular Session of 2004.

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. 1034, S.D. 1, and recommends that it pass Third Reading.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

		____________________________ BRIAN T. TANIGUCHI, Chair