STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1946-22

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2022

RE: S.B. No. 2766

S.D. 1

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Finance, to which was referred S.B. No. 2766, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO LAND USE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to require the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development to perform a study to assess the rural district framework within the land use law and make recommendations for revisions to rural district policies and permissible uses within the rural district, including a legal analysis of regulatory issues and safeguards that must be addressed to facilitate the reclassification of lands from the agricultural district to the rural district.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Agriculture, Hawai‘i Farm Bureau, and one individual. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Land Use Commission and one individual. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Budget and Finance, Office of Planning and Sustainable Development, and Land Use Research Foundation of Hawaii.

Your Committee has amended this measure by changing the effective date to July 1, 2022, to encourage further discussion.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Finance that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2766, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2766, S.D. 1, H.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Finance,

____________________________

SYLVIA LUKE, Chair