STAND. COM. REP. NO.  427

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2009

RE:   H.B. No. 241

      H.D. 1

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2009

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committees on Water, Land, & Ocean Resources and Agriculture, to which was referred H.B. No. 241 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO AGRICULTURE,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to authorize each of the soil and water conservation districts to keep revenues generated within their respective districts to carry out functions of the district.

     The Hawaii Association of Conservation Districts, Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation, Hawaii Crop Improvement Association, Hawaii Agriculture Research Center, and several concerned individuals testified in support of this bill.  The Department of Land and Natural Resources provided comments. 

     Your Committees find that the carrying over of unencumbered appropriations from the general fund may raise a constitutional problem.  Accordingly, your Committees have amended this bill by limiting to non-general funds, such as donations and grants, the funds that may be carried over to the next fiscal year to carry out the functions of the districts. 

     Technical, nonsubstantive amendments were also made for style, clarity, and consistency.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Water, Land, & Ocean Resources and Agriculture that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 241, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 241, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Water, Land, & Ocean Resources and Agriculture,

____________________________ CLIFT TSUJI, Chair

____________________________ KEN ITO, Chair