Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2005

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Water, Land, & Ocean Resources, to which was referred H.B. No. 1659 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to allow noncommercial pier owners more time to negotiate leases of state submerged lands or lands beneath tidal waters by extending the repeal date of Act 261, Session Laws of Hawaii (SLH) 2000, to June 30, 2008.

Protect Our Shoreline Ohana and a concerned citizen supported this bill. The Department of Land and Natural Resources offered comments.

Your Committee notes that presently, submerged land leases represent 50 percent of the 2001 tax assessment value.

In addition, your Committee strongly urges the Board of Land and Natural Resources to use the prevailing property value in determining the lease rent after July 1, 2006. This is to prompt procrastinating property owners into action and to fulfill the State's fiduciary responsibility to public land trust beneficiaries.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Water, Land, & Ocean Resources that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1659, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1659, H.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.