STAND. COM. REP. NO. 311

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 1094

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Water, Land, Agriculture, and Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 1094 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE LAND CONSERVATION FUND,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to authorize the use of the Land Conservation Fund for the acquisition of agricultural easements and for the payment of debt service on bonds issued for acquisitions using the fund.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Land and Natural Resources, and the Hawaii Agriculture Research Center.

     Your Committee finds that this measure broadens the type of public purpose that the Land Conservation Fund can be used for and specifies agricultural easements as an appropriate means to acquire interests or rights in agricultural land.  Allowing the purchase of agricultural conservation easements is a tool that may encourage more landowners to consider this program and keep important agricultural lands in production, rather than allowing them to be converted to suburban or high density areas. 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Water, Land, Agriculture, and Hawaiian Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1094 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Water, Land, Agriculture, and Hawaiian Affairs,

____________________________

RUSSELL S. KOKUBUN, Chair