STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2737

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 2639

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2016

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 2639 entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to automatically extend the deadline for the Department of Land and Natural Resources to render a decision on a conservation district use permit application by ninety days beyond the time necessary to complete any required environmental impact statement and any requested contested case hearing.

     Your Committee received written comments in support of this measure from the Department of Land and Natural Resources, The Chamber of Commerce Hawaii, Hawaii Leeward Planning Conference, Hawaii Island Economic Development Board, Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce, and one individual.

     Your Committee finds that current law requires the Board of Land and Natural Resources to make a final decision on a conservation district use permit application within one hundred eighty days of acceptance of the completed application.  However, this deadline may be extended at the request of the applicant if an environmental impact statement is required or if a contested case hearing is requested.  Your Committee finds that automatically extending the time for a final decision when an environmental impact statement is required or if a contested case hearing is requested will help to ensure that the board has adequate time to render a decision on a conservation district use permit application.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2639 and recommends that it pass Third Reading.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

________________________________

JILL N. TOKUDA, Chair