STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2382

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2799

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Water and Land, to which was referred S.B. No. 2799 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE KAIWI COAST,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Transfer lands to the Department of Land and Natural Resources and establish that land and adjacent state-owned lands as the Kaiwi Coast State Park; and

(2) Appropriate funds.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Environmental Caucus of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i, Friends of Hanauma Bay, Surfrider Foundation, Ko‘olau Waialua Alliance, Sierra Club of Hawai‘i, Hawaii Reef and Ocean Coalition, and six individuals. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Land and Natural Resources and Department of Budget and Finance.

Your Committee finds that the lands of the Kaiwi coast are an invaluable natural asset for the people of Hawaii. Numerous community members and organizations have fought long and hard over many decades to protect and preserve this unspoiled area for future generations, collaborating with government agencies to address myriad issues, such as managing human impacts, preventing invasive species, and restoring the Wawamalu dune system. As the Kaiwi Coast draws thousands of visitors every year, the area may become an inevitable target for commercial interests and future development. To preserve and protect the lands of the Kaiwi Coast, this measure establishes the Kaiwi Coast State Park and appropriates funds for the establishment of management for the new state park.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Authorizing, rather than requiring, the transfer of specific lands spanning Wawamalu to Makapuu to the Department of Land and Natural Resources;

(2) Authorizing, rather than requiring, the designation of a state park under the name "Kaiwi Coast State Park";

(3) Authorizing, rather than requiring, the Department of Land and Natural Resources to consider the lands within or added to the Kaiwi Coast State Park to be considered for designation as conservation lands;

(4) Adding one full-time equivalent (1.0 FTE) general laborer to the positions established within the Department of Land and Natural Resources; and

(5) Inserting an effective date of July 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion.

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. 2799, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2799, 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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LORRAINE R. INOUYE, Chair