STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1592-12

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2012

RE:   S.B. No. 2277

      S.D. 2

      H.D. 2

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2012

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Finance, to which was referred S.B. No. 2277, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO ENDANGERED AND THREATENED SPECIES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to make permanent the Board of Land and Natural Resources' power to:

     (1)  Issue incidental take licenses; and

     (2)  Enter into safe harbor agreements and habitat conservation plans.

The Department of Land and Natural Resources; Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism; Land Use Research Foundation of Hawaii; Hawaii Forest Industry Association; General Contractors Association of Hawaii; The Pacific Resource Partnership; Building Industry Association-Hawaii; PAHIO Development, Inc.; Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation; and several concerned individuals supported the measure.  Life of the Land; the Conservation Council for Hawai‘i; the Sierra Club, Hawaii Chapter; Earthjustice; and the Hanalei Watershed Hui opposed the measure.  The Nature Conservancy of Hawaii offered comments.  

     Your Committee has amended this measure by changing its effective date to June 30, 2012.

     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. 2277, 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. 2277, S.D. 2, H.D. 2.

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

____________________________

MARCUS R. OSHIRO, Chair