STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1507-18

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2018

RE: S.B. No. 2846

S.D. 2

H.D. 2

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2018

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Labor & Public Employment, to which was referred S.B. No. 2846, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO IRRIGATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to:

(1) Permit the transfer of operational authority over the portions of the East Kauai irrigation system operated and maintained by the East Kauai Water Users' Cooperative as of July 1, 2018, to the Department of Agriculture upon adoption of rules;

(2) Establish positions within the Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Resource Management Division (Division);

(3) Authorize general obligation bonds to assist the Division with plans, designs, land acquisition, and equipment to increase state irrigation system capacity statewide;

(4) Make an appropriation for the operations and maintenance of the East Kauai irrigation system; and

(5) Require the Attorney General to review the permit issued by the Department of Land and Natural Resources to the East Kauai Water Users' Cooperative for legal conflicts and submit a report of its findings to the Legislature.

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

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Changing the amounts of full time equivalent positions to be established within the Division, and funded by the appropriation, to unspecified amounts;

(2) Deleting the requirement that the Attorney General review the permit issued by the Department of Land and Natural Resources to the East Kauai Water Users' Cooperative for legal conflicts and submit a report of its findings to the Legislature;

(3) Changing this measure's effective date to January 1, 2050; and

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

Should the Committee on Finance deliberate this measure further, your Committee on Labor & Public Employment respectfully requests that it consider inserting amounts for full time equivalent positions to be established within the Division as follows:

(1) One full-time equivalent (1.0 FTE) irrigation district manager position;

(2) Three full-time equivalent (3.0 FTE) irrigation system worker II positions; and

(3) One full-time equivalent (1.0 FTE) office assistant III position.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Labor & Public Employment that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2846, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to your Committee on Finance in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2846, S.D. 2, H.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Labor & Public Employment,

____________________________

AARON LING JOHANSON, Chair