CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REP. NO. 45

Honolulu, Hawaii

                 , 2011

RE:    S.B. No. 23

       S.D. 1

       H.D. 2

       C.D. 1

Honorable Shan S. Tsutsui

President of the Senate

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2011

State of Hawaii

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2011

State of Hawaii

Sirs:

     Your Committee on Conference on the disagreeing vote of the Senate to the amendments proposed by the House of Representatives in S.B. No. 23, S.D. 1, H.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO NATIVE HAWAIIANS,"

having met, and after full and free discussion, has agreed to recommend and does recommend to the respective Houses the final passage of this bill in an amended form.

     The purpose of this measure is to establish an ‘Aha Kiole Advisory Council within the Department of Land and Natural Resources to advise the Office of the Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources and the Legislature on issues related to land and natural resource management.

     Your Committee on Conference finds that indigenous resource management concepts related to land and natural resource management are necessary to guide the State in its stewardship of natural resources.  Act 212, Session Laws of Hawaii 2007, created an ‘Aha Kiole Advisory Committee to initiate a process to create a system of best practices that is based upon the indigenous resource management practice of moku (regional) boundary management, and this measure would synchronize these indigenous resource management concepts with the policy initiatives of the Executive and Legislative branches.

     Your Committee on Conference has amended this measure by:

(1)  Providing that the ‘Aha Kiole Advisory Council may serve in an advisory capacity to the Legislature in addition to the Office of the Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources;

(2)  Requiring the ‘Aha Kiole Advisory Council to select an Executive Director;

(3)  Inserting an appropriation amount of $64,500 from the Land Conservation Fund, rather than the General Fund, to fund the Executive Director position;

(4)  Changing the effective date of the measure to July 1, 2011; and

     (5)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the managers of your Committee on Conference that is attached to this report, your Committee on Conference is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 23, S.D. 1, H.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Final Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 23, S.D. 1, H.D. 2, C.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the managers:

ON THE PART OF THE HOUSE

ON THE PART OF THE SENATE

____________________________ FAYE HANOHANO, Co-Chair	____________________________ DONOVAN M. DELA CRUZ, Chair
____________________________ JERRY L. CHANG, Co-Chair	____________________________ BRICKWOOD GALUTERIA, Co-Chair
____________________________ MARCUS R. OSHIRO, Co-Chair