Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2005

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Business and Economic Development and Water, Land, and Agriculture and Intergovernmental Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 1381 entitled:

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to require the Department of Land and Natural Resources to work with the county parks departments to identify state parks that should be transferred to the county and appropriates funds to plan the transfer.

Your Committees received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Hawaii Government Employees Association. Your Committees received comments regarding this measure from the Department of Land and Natural Resources and the City and County of Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation.

Your Committees find that state parks exhibit Hawaii's finest natural and cultural resources, in which island residents and visitors alike experience and learn about Hawaii's extraordinary natural resources and cultural heritage. Your Committees further find that the missions of the state and county parks differ. State parks operate mainly to provide and preserve unique places of natural, cultural, and scenic importance, and county parks operate mainly neighborhood and district or community parks for its residents. Your Committees recognize, however, that some state parks fit better into the county programs. Your Committees believe that this is an opportunity to examine the state and county park programs to determine if further exchanges of park areas would improve efficiency and service to the public.

Your Committees find that this determination merits further investigation and have amended this measure to require that the Department of Land and Natural Resources work with the county parks departments in an attempt to identify at least one park in each county that should be transferred from State to county and at least one park that should be transferred from county to State. Your Committees further have amended this measure to require the department to include the parks identified in each county in its report to the legislature and to include recommendations regarding funding and revenue sources.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Business and Economic Development and Water, Land, and Agriculture and Intergovernmental Affairs that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1381, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1381, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.