CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REP. NO. 76-22

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                 , 2022

 

RE:    S.B. No. 2056

       S.D. 1

       H.D. 1

       C.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

 

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

 

Sirs:

 

     Your Committee on Conference on the disagreeing vote of the Senate to the amendments proposed by the House of Representatives in S.B. No. 2056, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO SOIL CLASSIFICATIONS,"

 

having met, and after full and free discussion, has agreed to recommend and does recommend to the respective Houses the final passage of this bill in an amended form.

 

     The purpose of this measure is to:

 

     (1)  Require the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development, in cooperation with the Department of Agriculture and Land Use Commission, to conduct a study of the suitability of soil classification systems for the regulation of agricultural lands;

 

     (2)  Require a report to the Legislature; and

 

     (3)  Appropriate funds.

 

     Your Committee on Conference finds that the State has not completed a comprehensive soil study or completed sufficient agricultural soil mapping in over fifty years.  To meet the State's critical food sustainability goals and enhance local agricultural productivity, there is a need to utilize effective standards for identifying productive agricultural lands and protect long-term agricultural use under state and county land use regulatory systems.

 

     Your Committee on Conference has amended this measure by reverting its contents to the S.D. 1 version and further amending it by:

 

     (1)  Inserting an appropriation of $325,000 for the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development to conduct the study as required by this Act;

 

     (2)  Changing the effective date to July 1, 2022; and

 

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

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the managers of your Committee on Conference that is attached to this report, your Committee on Conference is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2056, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Final Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2056, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, C.D. 1.


 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the managers:

 

ON THE PART OF THE HOUSE

 

ON THE PART OF THE SENATE

 

____________________________

DAVID A. TARNAS

Co-Chair

 

____________________________

LORRAINE R. INOUYE

Chair

____________________________

MARK J. HASHEM

Co-Chair

 

____________________________

MIKE GABBARD

Co-Chair

____________________________

PATRICK PIHANA BRANCO

Co-Chair

 

____________________________

MAILE S.L. SHIMABUKURO

Co-Chair