STAND. COM. REP. NO.  870

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2013

RE:   H.B. No. 1263

      H.D. 2

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2013

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Finance, to which was referred H.B. No. 1263, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO IRRIGATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to finance improvements to various irrigation systems by authorizing the Director of Finance to issue general obligation bonds for specified projects.

The Agribusiness Development Corporation, Hawaii Crop Improvement Association, Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation, Local Food Coalition, Ulupono Initiative, and an individual provided testimony in support of this measure.  The Department of Budget and Finance provided comments on this measure.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Changing the amount of the bonds authorized to be issued to an unspecified amount;

     (2)  Deleting funding for the Kekaha ditch system;

     (3)  Instead of funding the east Kauai irrigation system by general obligation bonds, appropriating an unspecified amount for the system from general revenues;

     (4)  Authorizing the use of general obligation bond funding for the Menehune Ditch irrigation system;

     (5)  Changing its effective date to July 1, 2030, to encourage further discussion; and

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

     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 H.B. No. 1263, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1263, H.D. 2.

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

____________________________

SYLVIA LUKE, Chair