Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2003

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Water, Land, and Agriculture, to which was referred S.B. No. 1416 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to amend the legislative disapproval process for land exchanges by making the legislative disapproval occur after the Board of Land and Natural Resources' preliminary approval of the land exchange, but before the final execution of the exchange deeds.

Testimony in support was submitted by the Department of Land and Natural Resources.

Your Committee finds that as the law is currently written, the Legislature exercises its oversight after execution of the exchange deed or at the very end of the disposition process. By that time, a significant amount of time and funds will already have been invested into the exchange. This could pose an unacceptable level of risk to private landowners who have to spend their own time and effort toward completing the exchange, which could result in public funds having to be used to acquire the lands.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Water, Land, and Agriculture that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1416 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.