STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1458-18

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2018

RE: S.B. No. 2168

S.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 S.B. No. 2168, S.D. 1, entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to provide incentives to the counties to comply with their statutory duty to identify and map potential important agricultural lands and make recommendations to the Land Use Commission for designating lands as important agricultural lands by appropriating and allocating specified grants to each county to identify and map important agricultural lands or reimburse the costs incurred by counties that have completed the process.

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

Your Committee respectfully requests your Committee on Finance consider the concerns of the Mayor of Hawai‘i County relating to the funding and time constraints to identity and map important agricultural lands and take any actions deemed appropriate. Further, it is not the intent of your Committee that this measure have any impact on the amount of Transient Accommodations Tax revenues allocated to the counties.

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 S.B. No. 2168, S.D. 1, and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

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

____________________________

RICHARD P. CREAGAN, Chair