STAND. COM. REP. NO.  6-14

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2014

RE:   H.B. No. 1556

      H.D. 1

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2014

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committees on Ocean, Marine Resources, & Hawaiian Affairs and Water & Land, to which was referred H.B. No. 1556 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO LEGISLATIVE OVERSIGHT OF PAPAHANAUMOKUAKEA,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to:

     (1)  Establish the Papahanaumokuakea Legislative Inspection Committee (the "Inspection Committee"); and

     (2)  Require the members of the Inspection Committee to conduct a site inspection of the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument (the "Monument") every three years.

The Department of Land and Natural Resources provided comments on this measure.

     Your Committees have amended this measure by:

     (1)  Specifying that the Inspection Committee shall:

          (A)  Review the purpose and objectives of the Monument;

          (B)  Ensure that the federal government is in compliance with the Monument Management Plan established pursuant to the 2006 Presidential Proclamation that created the Monument and the Memorandum of Agreement between the federal and state government; and

          (C)  Examine how federal and state agencies are managing the Monument's resources and responding to threats including those threats from climate change and marine debris;

     (2)  Requiring the Inspection Committee to submit a report to the Legislature regarding the status of the Monument prior to the start of each regular session immediately following the Inspection Committee's site visit;

     (3)  Inserting an appropriation to the Department of Land and Natural Resources to coordinate and facilitate the Inspection Committee's site visits;

     (4)  Changing the effective date to July 1, 2014; and

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

     Your Committees respectfully request that your Committee on Finance determine the appropriate funding mechanism for the Inspection Committee's site visits.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Ocean, Marine Resources, & Hawaiian Affairs and Water & Land that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1556, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1556, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Ocean, Marine Resources, & Hawaiian Affairs and Water & Land,

____________________________ CINDY EVANS, Chair

____________________________ FAYE P. HANOHANO, Chair