STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1302

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    H.B. No. 1028

       H.D. 1

       S.D. 1

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committees on Water, Land, Agriculture, and Hawaiian Affairs and Economic Development and Taxation, to which was referred H.B. No. 1028, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO WALKING TRAILS,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to preserve and recognize the cultural significance of the Pi‘ilani Trail by appropriating funds for the Department of Land and Natural Resources to reestablish and improve the Pi‘ilani Trail.

     Specifically, this measure:

     (1)  Designates the Pi‘ilani Trail as an important Hawaiian coastal cultural heritage corridor; and

     (2)  Appropriates a blank amount for the Department of Land and Natural Resources to reestablish and improve the Pi‘ilani Trail.

     Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the Department of Land and Natural Resources and Lahaina Bypass Now.  Testimony in opposition to this measure was submitted by the Office of Hawaiian Affairs.

     Your Committees find and recognize the importance of walking trails and the cultural and historic significance that the Pi‘ilani Trail on Maui holds.  Started by King Pi‘ilani in the fourteenth-century, it is the only ancient highway to encircle the coastline of any of the Hawaiian Islands.  The Department of Land and Natural Resources indicated in its testimony, however, that developing and maintaining the trail to its full potential as a coastal cultural heritage corridor will be costly.  Furthermore, the Department indicated that parts of the trail have been destroyed due to historic land uses and may be the route of current public highways in many locations.

     Accordingly, your Committees have amended this measure by:

     (1)  Deleting section 2 of this measure and adding language that:

          (A)  Requests the Na Ala Hele program under the Department of Land and Natural Resources to conduct a feasibility and cost study of designating the Pi‘ilani Trail as an important Hawaiian coastal heritage corridor and opening the trail for public use;

          (B)  Requests that the Na Ala Hele program use its own funds to conduct the study; and

          (C)  Requests the Na Ala Hele program to submit a written report to the Legislature; and

     (2)  Changing the effective date of this measure from July 1, 2020, to July 1, 2007.

     Your Committees believe that this measure, as amended, fulfills the intent of this measure, which is to preserve and recognize the cultural significance of the Pi‘ilani Trail on Maui.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Water, Land, Agriculture, and Hawaiian Affairs and Economic Development and Taxation that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1028, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1028, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Water, Land, Agriculture, and Hawaiian Affairs and Economic Development and Taxation,

____________________________ CAROL FUKUNAGA, Chair

____________________________ RUSSELL S. KOKUBUN, Chair