STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2640

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 3050

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2020

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Agriculture and Environment and Water and Land, to which was referred S.B. No. 3050 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO CONSERVATION,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Establish a habitat conservation program manager position within the Department of Land and Natural Resources and appropriate funds for the initial establishment of the position; and

(2) Charge habitat conservation plan applicants an hourly fee for all assistance provided by the habitat conservation program manager, which shall be used to maintain the habitat conservation program manager position.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Land and Natural Resources and one individual.

Your Committees find that human activities have contributed to the fragility of local habitats, leading to a current crisis in the survival of Hawaiian plants and animals and impacting public and private land use. Your Committees support efforts to promote recovery of Hawaii's threatened and endangered species and find that effective implementation of Hawaii's endangered species law, requires resources for adequate staffing. This measure provides funding for a habitat conservation program manager position to draft rules that implement and clarify Hawaii's endangered species law, work with applicants for incidental take licenses to develop their projects to minimize and mitigate incidental take of threatened and endangered species to the maximum extent practicable, and track and monitor funds and expenditures related to each habitat conservation plan project

Your Committees have amended this measure by:

(1) Deleting duplicative language requiring the Department of Land and Natural Resources to charge all habitat conservation plan applicants an hourly rate of $50 for all assistance provided to applicants by the habitat conservation program manager;

(2) Amending Section 1 to reflect its amended purpose; and

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

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Agriculture and Environment and Water and Land that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 3050, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 3050, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Agriculture and Environment and Water and Land,

________________________________ KAIALI'I KAHELE, Chair

________________________________ MIKE GABBARD, Chair