STAND. COM. REP. NO.  31-16

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2016

RE:   H.B. No. 2036

      H.D. 1

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2016

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Water & Land, to which was referred H.B. No. 2036 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO CONSERVATION DISTRICTS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to provide an automatic ninety-day extension to the Department of Land and Natural Resources' timeline for approval of land use permits for conservation land to allow for the completion of an environmental impact statement or contested case hearing before the Department's failure to render a decision results in an automatic approval of the application.

The Department of Land and Natural Resources, Chamber of Commerce Hawaii, Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce, and several individuals provided testimony in support of this measure.  An individual provided comments.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by changing the effective date to July 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Water & Land that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2036, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2036, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary.

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

____________________________

RYAN I. YAMANE, Chair