STAND. COM. REP. NO. 203

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 1134

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2019

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Water and Land, to which was referred S.B. No. 1134 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HEEIA STATE PARK,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to make an appropriation for a Heeia State Park community-based long-range plan and education center for the Heeia National Estuarine Research Reserve System.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawai‘i Institute of Marine Biology, The Nature Conservancy, O‘ahu County Committee on Legislative Priorities of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i, He‘eia National Estuarine Research Reserve, Ko‘olau Foundation, Ko‘olaupoko Hawaiian Civic Club, and three individuals. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Center for Hawaiian Sovereignty Studies. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Land and Natural Resources.

Your Committee finds that the Heeia National Estuarine Research Reserve System (HeNERR) is one of twenty-nine protected areas within the National Estuarine Research Reserve System. The HeNERR, which includes Heeia State Park, Heeia fishpond, and the Heeia community development district, as well as marine waters with patch and fringing reefs and Moku o Loe (Coconut Island), requires development of a community-based long-range plan for Heeia State Park to bring the activities in Heeia State Park into alignment with the community's interests, and to plan an education center that will help fulfill the mission of the state-federal partnership.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Inserting blank appropriation amounts;

(2) Clarifying that the appropriation is for the planning and design of an education center;

(3) Inserting an effective date of December 31, 2050, to encourage further discussion; 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 S.B. No. 1134, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1134, 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,

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KAIALI'I KAHELE, Chair