STAND. COM. REP. NO. 167

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 1215

       S.D. 1

Honorable Shan S. Tsutsui

President of the Senate

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2011

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committees on Public Safety, Government Operations, and Military Affairs and Education, to which was referred S.B. No. 1215 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PUBLIC LANDS,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to transfer 1.5 acres adjacent to the approximately 3.993 acres set aside by Executive Order No. 3791, to the University of Hawaii Kapiolani Community College, for a proposed Legacy Center for the 100th/442nd Regimental Combat Team.

     Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the University of Hawai‘i System and 442nd Veterans Club.  Your Committees received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Department of Land and Natural Resources.

     Your Committees note that the Department of Land and Natural Resources, which controls the property, indicated that it is willing to consider sharing the site with the 442nd Veterans Club for the purpose of the proposed Legacy Center for the 100th/442nd Regimental Combat Team.  However, the Department also indicated that it would be difficult to find another site for its state parks baseyard, which is currently located at the subject property.

     Testimony on this measure indicated that the transfer of land is premature in that all issues have not been fully discussed amongst interested parties.  Furthermore, neither the University of Hawaii Board of Regents nor the Board of Land and Natural Resources has given approval for the land transfer.  Your Committees believe that further study is needed before a land transfer can be authorized.

     Your Committees have amended this measure by:

(1)  Deleting references to the transfer of jurisdiction over the subject property to the University of Hawaii Kapiolani Community College and making conforming amendments throughout the measure; and

(2)  Inserting a provision to create a task force under the University of Hawaii Kapiolani Community College to study certain issues concerning the feasibility of transferring that parcel of land, and to report to the Legislature before the 2012 Regular Session.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Public Safety, Government Operations, and Military Affairs and Education that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1215, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1215, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Water, Land, and Housing.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Public Safety, Government Operations, and Military Affairs and Education,

____________________________ JILL TOKUDA, Chair

____________________________ WILL ESPERO, Chair