STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3439

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    H.B. No. 3126

       S.D. 2

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2008

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred H.B. No. 3126, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE HAWAIIAN HOMES COMMISSION ACt,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to increase the loan ceiling for farm, ranch, or aquaculture operations on Hawaiian home lands from $50,000 to $200,000.

     Your Committee notes that this measure proposes to amend paragraph (1) of the version of section 215, Hawaiian Homes Commission Act, 1920, as amended by Act 107, Session Laws of Hawaii 2000.  The effectiveness of Act 107, which amended paragraph (2) of section 215, is conditioned upon receipt of the consent of the United States Congress to the amendment.

     Your Committee finds that the loan ceiling was last raised in 1982 to $50,000.  Your Committee further finds that raising the loan ceiling will promote agricultural activity that will rehabilitate homestead lands.

     Accordingly, upon further consideration, your Committee has amended this measure to delete the severability provision in section 2, renumber the remaining sections appropriately, and condition the effectiveness of the measure upon obtaining the consent of Congress.

     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 H.B. No. 3126, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 3126, S.D. 2.

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

____________________________

ROSALYN H. BAKER, Chair