STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1173-18

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2018

RE: S.B. No. 2846

S.D. 2

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 S.B. No. 2846, S.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO IRRIGATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to ensure the sustainability of irrigation systems in the State by:

(1) Establishing and funding five new positions and providing fifty percent funding for two existing positions in the Agricultural Resource Management Division of the Department of Agriculture for the operations and maintenance of the East Kauai Irrigation System;

(2) Authorizing the Department of Agriculture to take conditional operational and maintenance authority over that portion of the East Kauai Irrigation System that is currently operated by the East Kauai Water Users' Cooperative;

(3) Authorizing the issuance of general obligation bonds to assist the Department of Agriculture to increase irrigation capacity statewide;

(4) Transferring unspecified funds from the Non-agricultural Park Lands Special Fund and Agricultural Park Special Fund into the general fund of the State to fund the operation and maintenance of the East Kauai Irrigation System and staff salaries and expenses for the Agricultural Resource Management Division; and

(5) Requiring the Attorney General to review the revocable permit issued to the East Kauai Water Users' Cooperative for legal conflicts and report its findings and recommendations, including proposed legislation, to the Legislature in 2019.

The Saiva Siddhanta Church, East Kauai Water Users' Cooperative, Kalepa Koalition, Hawaii Cattlemen's Council, Inc., Oahu County Committee on Legislative Priorities of the Democratic Party of Hawaii, Hawai‘i Farm Bureau, and a concerned individual supported this measure. The Department of Agriculture and Department of the Attorney General submitted comments on this measure.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Changing the amount of the authorized general obligation bonds and the amounts allocated for planning, design, land acquisition, and equipment to unspecified sums;

(2) Deleting the appropriations out of the Non-agricultural Park Lands Special Fund and Agricultural Park Special Fund; and

(3) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for consistency, clarity, and style.

Should your Committee on Finance deliberate on this matter further, your Committee on Agriculture respectfully requests that it consider authorizing $2,000,000 in general obligation bonds and allocating the bond funds to increase irrigation system capacity statewide as follows:

$1,997,000 for planning;

$1,000 for design;

$1,000 for land acquisition; and

$1,000 for equipment.

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. 2846, S.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2846, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Labor & Public Employment.

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

____________________________

RICHARD P. CREAGAN, Chair