Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2003

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Water, Land Use, and Hawaiian Affairs and Agriculture, to which was referred S.B. No. 1256 entitled:

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to provide the chairperson of the Board of Agriculture (Board) with additional time to submit the State Agricultural Water Use and Development Plan (Plan).

The Board, Maui County Farm Bureau, Pineapple Growers Association of Hawaii, Hawaii Agriculture Research Center (HARC), and the Hawaii Farm Bureau testified in support of this measure.

Your Committees find that Act 101, Session Laws of Hawaii (SLH) 1998, required the Department of Agriculture (DOA) to develop the Plan. However, no funds were appropriated to the DOA to perform this function. Your Committees note however, that the Legislature did appropriate $300,000 for fiscal year 2002-2003 to match a federal grant of $270,000 from the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation for the development of the Plan, and these funds are now being expended to begin the process. Additional funds are being requested this year to allow for the completion of the Plan in concert with the recommended extended deadline to 2004.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Water, Land Use, and Hawaiian Affairs and Agriculture that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1256 and recommend that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Finance.