STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1386-14

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2014

RE:   S.B. No. 2874

      H.D. 1

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2014

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred S.B. No. 2874 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE BOARD OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to require that at least one member of the Board of Land and Natural Resources (Board) has a background in native Hawaiian traditional and customary practices.

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Department of Land and Natural Resources, and one concerned individual testified in support of this measure.

     Your Committee notes the existence of the Aha Moku Councils, which are tasked, among other things, with advising the State on native Hawaiian resource management practices and establishing a comprehensive set of native Hawaiian best practices for natural resource management.  In addition, the Kaneohe Bay Regional Council (Council) was established within the Department of Land and Natural Resources to advise the State and county on matters relating to the use and management of Kaneohe Bay.  Further, one of the Council's seven members is from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs.  Given the existence of these advisory bodies, your Committee notes the concerns of certain Committee members that requiring the Board to have one expert member in native Hawaiian traditional and customary practices may be redundant.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Clarifying that the Board member with expertise in native Hawaiian traditional and customary practices shall not be the same person as the member appointed with a background in conservation and natural resources, thereby requiring a total of two expert Board members;

     (2)  Establishing criteria by which the Board member's expertise in native Hawaiian traditional and customary practices shall be demonstrated; and

     (3)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for clarity, consistency, and style.

     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 S.B. No. 2874, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2874, H.D. 1.

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

____________________________

KARL RHOADS, Chair