STAND. COM. REP. NO. 629-18

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2018

RE: H.B. No. 1785

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2018

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Agriculture, to which was referred H.B. No. 1785 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO IMPORTANT AGRICULTURAL LANDS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to conserve and protect the State's important agricultural lands (IALs) by appropriating funds to the counties to assist them in identifying, mapping, and recommending the designation of IALs to the Land Use Commission.

The Office of Planning, Land Use Commission, Department of Agriculture, Mayor of the County of Hawaii, a member of the Kaua‘i County Council, a member of the Maui County Council, Hawai‘i State Association of Counties, Ulupono Initiative, Ho‘omanapono Political Action Committee, Ho‘omana Pono, LLC, Hawaii Island Economic Development Board, Hawaii Leeward Planning Conference, Hawaii Cattlemen's Council, Inc., Alexander & Baldwin, Inc., Oahu County Committee on Legislative Priorities of the Democratic Party of Hawaii, Land Use Research Foundation of Hawaii, Hawai‘i Farm Bureau, and one individual supported this measure.

Your Committee has amended this measure by changing:

(1) The specified total amount and amounts specifically appropriated to each county for identifying and mapping IALs to unspecified sums;

(2) Its effective date to July 1, 2150, to encourage further discussion.

Should your Committee on Finance deliberate on this measure further, your Committee on Agriculture respectfully requests that it consider appropriating the total sum of $250,000 for grants-in-aid to the counties for the identification and mapping of IALs and allocating $62,500 to each county for that purpose.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Agriculture that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1785, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1785, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Agriculture,

____________________________

RICHARD P. CREAGAN, Chair