STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2387

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 3072

       S.D. 1

Honorable Shan S. Tsutsui

President of the Senate

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2012

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committees on Water, Land, and Housing and Agriculture, to which was referred S.B. No. 3072 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO LAND,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to transfer title to the Waiahole Valley Agricultural Park and residential lots subdivision from the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation to the Department of Agriculture.

     Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation and the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation.  Your Committees received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Department of Agriculture.

     Your Committees find that the Hawaii Community Development Authority adopted a resolution stating that the Waiahole Valley be developed as a farming community and that viable agricultural lands would be developed to its fullest potential.  However, the current owners of the Waiahole Valley Agricultural Park and residential lots subdivision, the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation, does not have the expertise in agriculture or agricultural lands.

     Your Committees further find that the Agribusiness Development Corporation is a more appropriate state agency to develop Waiahole Valley Agricultural Park to its fullest potential.  Accordingly, this measure has been amended by:

     (1)  Transferring the land to the Agribusiness Development Corporation, rather than the Department of Agriculture; and

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

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Water, Land, and Housing and Agriculture that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 3072, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 3072, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Water, Land, and Housing and Agriculture,

____________________________ CLARENCE K. NISHIHARA, Chair

____________________________ DONOVAN M. DELA CRUZ, Chair