STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1415-12

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2012

RE:   H.C.R. No. 190

      H.D. 1

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2012

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Water, Land, & Ocean Resources, to which was referred H.C.R. No. 190 entitled:

"HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A TASK FORCE TO EXAMINE STATE REGULATION OF THE HARVESTING OF HAWAIIAN SANDALWOOD,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to request the establishment of a task force to examine state regulation of the harvesting of Hawaiian sandalwood.

Jawmin, LLC, dba Ha'loa Aina; Hawaii Cattlemen's Council; the Hawaii Forest Industry Association; McCandless Ranch; and several individuals supported this measure.  The Department of Land and Natural Resources supported the intent of this measure.  The Nature Conservancy and an individual commented on this measure.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Removing a representative from The Nature Conservancy from the task force; and

     (2)  Including on the task force a representative of landowners who own less than 100 acres of land and who are in the business of the sustainable forestry of sandalwood.

     Your Committee notes that the Department of Land and Natural Resources has commented that this measure does not provide funding to administer the task force and that the Department does not have the resources to provide for members' travel costs.  Your Committee respectfully requests that the Department of Land and Natural Resources determine and present to your Committee on Finance an estimate of the amount of funding that it may need for the administration of the task force.  Your Committee further requests that your Committee on Finance consider funding the task force.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Water, Land, & Ocean Resources that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of H.C.R. No. 190, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to the Committee on Finance in the form attached hereto as H.C.R. No. 190, H.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Water, Land, & Ocean Resources,

____________________________

JERRY L. CHANG, Chair