STAND. COM. REP. NO.  437-16

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2016

RE:   H.B. No. 2378

      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. 2378 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO FOREST RESERVES VIOLATIONS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to enable the Department of Land and Natural Resources to more consistently and effectively address conservation and resource violations by:

     (1)  Making any violation of Part II of Chapter 183, Hawaii Revised Statutes, or any rules adopted pursuant thereto, a criminal offense; and

     (2)  Repealing section 183-4, Hawaii Revised Statutes.

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

     Your Committee finds that the law only warrants a fine up to $10,000 per Koa tree and $2,000 for all other forest products. This fine does not discourage theft since the value of Koa and other forest products far exceeds this dollar amount.  Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by giving the Board of Land and Natural Resources greater discretionary authority to set, charge, and collect fines for violations of section 183-17, Hawaii Revised Statutes.

     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. 2378, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2378, 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