STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1882

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2007

RE:   S.B. No. 1923

      S.D. 2

      H.D. 2

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Finance, to which was referred S.B. No. 1923, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO LANDS CONTROLLED BY THE STATE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to require prior legislative approval for the exchange of public lands controlled by the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) and other departments and agencies, including the University of Hawaii, Department of Agriculture, Aloha Tower Development Corporation, Agribusiness Development Corporation, and the High Technology Development Corporation.  However, there is a three-year exception to this requirement for the exchange of up to 15 acres of public lands that are used as a qualified community center by a qualified eleemosynary organization.

     The Chair of the Makakilo/Kapolei/Honokai Hale Neighborhood Board No. 34, Hawaii Government Employees Association, AFSCME Local 152, AFL-CIO, and several concerned individuals testified in support of this bill.  The Governor's Policy Office, DLNR, and the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation opposed this measure.  The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands and Hawaii Business Roundtable provided comments.

     Your Committee has amended this bill by:

(1)  Deleting the exception to the legislative approval requirement for the exchange of up to 15 acres of public lands that are used as a qualified community center by a qualified eleemosynary organization;

(2)  Requiring the prior legislative approval for the sale in fee simple of certain public lands;

(3)  Changing the effective date to July 1, 2020, to encourage further discussion; and

(4)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for style, clarity, and consistency.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Finance that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1923, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1923, S.D. 2, H.D. 2.

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

____________________________

MARCUS R. OSHIRO, Chair