STAND. COM. REP. NO. 920

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 1585

       S.D. 2

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 1585, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HISTORIC SITES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to prohibit private landowners of potential native Hawaiian historical sites from engaging in any action that might affect the sites without the prior approval of the Department of Land and Natural Resources.

     Furthermore, this measure requires the landowner to preserve the land for ten years once the Department disapproves of the landowner's proposed action.

     Your Committee received comments in support of the measure from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and the County of Hawaii.  Comments were received from the Department of Land and Natural Resources and the City and County of Honolulu.

     Your Committee finds that this measure is necessary to offer the utmost protection to sites that have the potential of being native Hawaiian historical sites.  Without this measure, much of the collective history and past of Hawaii, especially that of the native Hawaiian community, will be destroyed and obliterated on a daily basis.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Requiring the Department to notify the relevant county of any action taken by the Department in relation to the site;

     (2)  Specifying that the Department's ten-year property use prohibition imposed on the land is subject to an administrative hearing;

     (3)  Changing the effective date to July 1, 2050 to facilitate further discussion on the measure; and

     (4)  Making technical nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and style.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1585, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1585, S.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

____________________________

ROSALYN H. BAKER, Chair