STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2693
Honolulu, Hawaii
RE: S.B. No. 2788
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. 2788 entitled:
"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE MOLOKAI IRRIGATION SYSTEM WATER USERS ADVISORY BOARD,"
begs leave to report as follows:
The purpose and intent of this measure is to amend the law relating to the membership requirements of the Molokai Irrigation System Water Users Advisory Board.
More specifically, this measure:
(1) Authorizes agents, officers, or employees of Molokai irrigation system users to be Molokai Irrigation System Water Users Advisory Board members; and
(2) Removes the requirement that Molokai Irrigation System Water Users Advisory Board members be active general excise tax licensees.
Your Committee received written comments on this measure from the Department of Agriculture and a member of the Maui County Council.
Your Committee finds that the Molokai Irrigation System Water Users Advisory Board was created to advise the Department of Agriculture on matters of concern to users of the irrigation system, provide support to the irrigation facilities, participate in the long-range planning of the irrigation system, and act as a liaison between the users of the irrigation system and the Department of Agriculture. Since 2010, Advisory Board members must be residents of Molokai and active general excise tax licensees. These requirements have prevented the Advisory Board from attracting qualified members to serve. Presently, only two out of a possible seven positions on the Advisory Board are filled. Your Committee believes that authorizing agents, officers, or employees of Molokai irrigation system users to be Advisory Board members and removing the requirement that board members be active general excise tax licensees will make more Molokai irrigation system users eligible to serve on the Advisory Board.
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. 2788 and recommends that it pass Third Reading.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,
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________________________________ JILL N. TOKUDA, Chair |
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