STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2391

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 3121

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2014

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Water and Land, to which was referred S.B. No. 3121 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PUBLIC LAND,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to amend the legislative disapproval requirement for any exchange of public land for private land to instead be a requirement for legislative approval subject to approval by a majority vote in both houses.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs and Office of Hawaiian Affairs.  Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Land and Natural Resources.

     Your Committee finds that this measure removes confusion and inconsistency in the statutes.  By restating the proposition in the positive as "approval", rather than in the negative "disapproval", will no longer be a source of confusion when the Legislature votes on these matters.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Water and Land that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 3121 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Water and Land,

____________________________

MALAMA SOLOMON, Chair