STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2389

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2065

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Agriculture and Environment and Water and Land, to which was referred S.B. No. 2065 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO FISHING,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to prohibit the possession or use of unmanned aerial vehicles in state waters for the purposes of fishing.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Land and Natural Resources; Hawaii State Aha Moku; Hawai‘i Fishermen's Alliance for Conservation and Tradition, Inc.; Mālama Pūpūkea-Waimea; For the Fishes; and one individual. Your Committees received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Office of the Public Defender and six individuals. Your Committees received comments on this measure from two individuals.

Your Committees find that the use of unmanned aerial vehicles for fishing can pose a risk to certain protected species. Your Committees further find, however, that the definition of "unmanned aerial vehicle" in this measure requires clarification and should exclude remote controlled airplanes, defined as small aircraft made from insubstantial material with fixed wings and two or fewer remote controlled electric rotors.

Your Committees have amended this measure by:

(1) Clarifying the definition of "remote controlled airplane"; and

(2) 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. 2065, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2065, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary.

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

________________________________ LORRAINE R. INOUYE, Chair

________________________________ MIKE GABBARD, Chair