STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3063

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: H.B. No. 2594

H.D. 2

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2018

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Water and Land, to which was referred H.B. No. 2594, H.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE KAHO‘OLAWE ISLAND RESERVE COMMISSION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to appropriate funds for the Kaho‘olawe Island Reserve Commission to restore, preserve, and determine the appropriate uses of the Kaho‘olawe Island Reserve and to fund an unspecified number of full-time equivalent permanent positions for the Kaho‘olawe Island Reserve Commission.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Kaho‘olawe Island Reserve Commission, one member of the County Council of the County of Maui, Hawaiian Affairs Caucus of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i, O‘ahu County Committee on Legislative Priorities of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i, Hawaiian Civic Club of Honolulu, Maui Nui Seabird Recovery Project, Ocean Tourism Coalition, Hawaii Academy of Arts & Sciences Public Charter School, Malu ‘Aina, Old Lāhainā Lū‘au, and forty-two individuals. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Center for Hawaiian Sovereignty Studies.

Your Committee finds that during the past fourteen years, the Kaho‘olawe Island Reserve Commission has developed innovative and effective restoration projects that serve as a foundation for the future restoration of the island. In 2016, the Commission submitted a detailed financial self-sufficiency and sustainability plan to establish the necessary baseline level of funding needed to continue work on Kaho‘olawe. As a result, Act 49, Session Laws of Hawaii 2017, provided general funds and authorized fifteen positions for fiscal years 2017-2018 and 2018-2019. Although these funds allow the Commission to continue its mission in the short term, these funds are only sufficient to support staffing, Maui-based facilities, and Maui-based operations. This measure provides additional funding to support Kaho‘olawe Island operations, safety, and infrastructure, as well as to restore the cultural resource project coordinator position, which is a critical position needed to manage, protect, and restore the archaeological and historical resources of Kaho‘olawe.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Inserting an appropriation amount of $600,000 for the Kaho‘olawe Island Reserve Commission to restore, preserve, and determine the appropriate uses of the Kaho‘olawe Island Reserve;

(2) Specifying that the appropriation for full-time equivalent permanent positions is for one full-time equivalent (1.0 FTE) permanent cultural resource project coordinator, and inserting an appropriation amount of $53,864 to fund that position;

(3) Changing the date to July 1, 2018; and

(4) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Water and Land that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2594, H.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2594, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

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

________________________________

KARL RHOADS, Chair