STAND

STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1224-06

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2006

RE: S.B. No. 3077

S.D. 2

H.D. 1

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2006

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred S.B. No. 3077, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO CONSERVATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to amend the land conservation laws by:

(1) Requiring the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) to consult with the Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives when:

(A) Preparing a resource land acquisition plan; and

(B) Making recommendations to the Board of Land and Natural Resources (BLNR) on the acquisition of lands having value as a resource to the State;

and

(2) Requiring BLNR to consult with the Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives when:

(A) Acquiring, selling, leasing, or otherwise conveying lands having value as a resource to the State; and

(B) Making grants to state agencies, counties, and nonprofit land conservation organizations for purchase or acquisition of interests or rights in lands having value as a resource to the State.

DLNR and the Trust for Public Land testified in support of this bill. The Department of Agriculture, Hawaii Agriculture Research Center, and the Nature Conservancy of Hawai'i provided comments.

Several testifiers suggested an amendment to make an appropriation from the Land Conservation Fund to preserve federal Farm and Ranch Land Protection Program funding. Your Committee respectfully requests the Committee on Finance to consider this matter.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 3077, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, and recommends that it be referred to the Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Judiciary,

		____________________________ SYLVIA LUKE, Chair