STAND. COM. REP. NO.  758

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2013

RE:   H.B. No. 17

      H.D. 1

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2013

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred H.B. No. 17 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO COASTAL AREAS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to protect the public's lateral access to the shoreline by making permanent the requirement that landowners remove the landowner's human induced, enhanced, or unmaintained vegetation that blocks the corridor seaward of the shoreline.

The Department of Land and Natural Resources; Office of Hawaiian Affairs; Office of Planning; Kuliouou/Kalani Iki Neighborhood Board #2; Hookipa Network, Kauai; and numerous concerned individuals supported this measure.  The Hawaii Association of REALTORS and one concerned individual opposed this measure.  The Land Use Research Foundation of Hawaii and two concerned individuals offered comments on this measure.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by extending for two years, rather than making permanent, the requirement that landowners remove vegetation that blocks the corridor seaward of the shoreline.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 17, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 17, H.D. 1.

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

____________________________

KARL RHOADS, Chair